Box of Little White Lies
by CleoArrow
Summary: The Teen Titans wake up in a big white room. A mysterious figure behind an enormous screen tells them that in order to escape from the room they have been placed in, they must answer questions about their deepest secrets or lose their lives. (BB/Rae and Rob/Star)
1. The White Room

**Hello, and welcome to my next FanFiction Teen Titan story! The time is set after the series ended, but Trouble in Tokyo has not happened. Enjoy!**

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Raven rolled over onto her side, the mattress below much less comfortable than when she remembered falling asleep on it the previous night. The padding felt more like a straight board, something that Cyborg would be content sleeping on, seeing as his bed consisted of an inclined iron slate. Raven, however, was not Cyborg, and she was currently experiencing what people might call irritation, something the empath was all too familiar with. The only part of the bed that seemed to be as soft as she remembered was her pillow, and she was grateful for the warmth it provided. Raven breathed out once, trying to fall back asleep and ignoring the pillow's small rise and fall that kept her from sinking into unconsciousness. Realizing that pillows didn't move, Raven's eyes shot open and she sat straight up, whipping her head around. With a shout of alarm, she scrambled back, a small streak of magic escaping from her hand to attack the object that she'd believed to be her pillow.

Her "pillow" was in fact a person, and now a groggy Beast Boy sat up, blinking. He wore a confused expression on his face, and as the shape-shifter rubbed the sore spot on his side, he tried to figure out what or who had attacked him while he'd been sleeping. Raven tried to suppress an uncomfortable shiver. She now stood several feet from Beast Boy, her hood shadowing the girl's embarrassed expression. Why was Beast Boy in her sleeping quarters in the first place? She glanced around, realizing suddenly that she was no longer in her bedroom like she'd been led to believe.

Raven and her teammates resided in a large white room roughly the size of a basketball court with high ceilings and no apparent doors. Gray stripes similar to Cyborg's electronic wires streaked the walls and floor in unorganized lines, and the lone object in the room was a black television screen which took up half of the wall. Nearby Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg lay on the ground, asleep as Raven and Beast Boy had been, though her teammates were not resting on each other; Raven still had no idea how she'd mistaken the shape-shifter for a pillow. Thankfully, Beast Boy was oblivious to the event ever having happened, and he now was looking around the strange environment curiously.

"Dude, where are we?" he asked, standing.

Raven simply shrugged in response. His guess was as good as hers. A deep groan caught the dark girl's attention, and she and Beast Boy glanced over to where Cyborg was resting on his side. The robotic teenager yawned, stretching out and unintentionally hitting Robin in the stomach with one of his heavy arms. The Titan leader woke instantly as the air rushed out of his chest, and Robin rolled over, gasping for breath. Cyborg glanced at him, blinking several times before he recognized who was beside him. He sat straight up.

"Yo, man, what are ya doing in my room?!" he cried, jumping to his feet. "Especially during my beauty sleep time?! What's wrong with ya?!" Robin was too busy filling his lungs with air to answer.

"If you haven't noticed, we're not in your room, dude," Beast Boy stated, walking forward and offering a hand to his robotic friend. Cyborg looked around, realizing that the shape-shifter was right. He scratched his head, and then took the green boy's hand.

"And now I see that."

Robin had finally recovered. "The last thing I remember is going to bed and falling asleep. We're obviously not in the tower now, so where exactly are we?" he questioned, helping a sleepy Starfire up from the floor. The girl had woken up because of Cyborg's surprised shout. Cyborg flipped open a section of his arm and pressed a few buttons. Beeping was heard, and the robotic teenager took on a frustrated expression.

"Can't tell. Somethin' is blocking my sensors from landing on any specific coordinates. It's just scanning a bunch of meaningless numbers and letters." He closed the hatch on his arm, glancing about the white room again. "Well, wherever we are, we can only hope that whoever brought us shows up sometime soon. I don't know how else we could have gotten here unless we all have a secret problem with sleepwalkin' and didn't say nothin'."

Starfire, at last fully awake, lifted her head to examine the ceiling. She caught sight of a miniature black piece of machinery with rotating gears attached to it. "Friends, have you not noticed the small object here?" she asked, flying up to it. The alien princess tilted her head curiously, reaching out to touch it when a bright purple light pulsed outwards without warning, passing throughout the room and over each of the Titans. The team slid into their battle positions, but as quickly as the light had appeared, it vanished. The Titans exchanged confused glances. From where Starfire floated, a peculiar tingling spread throughout her body, and, before she knew what was happening, she plummeted toward the ground, powerless to stop herself.

"Starfire!" Robin cried. Raven, also seeing how her friend appeared incapable of flight, levitated, about to soar up and catch her. However, the moment she was in the air, a wave of nausea claimed the dark girl, and Raven doubled over, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Just like Starfire, she suddenly dropped out of the air. Fortunately for her, Cyborg and Beast Boy were just underneath and managed to catch Raven before she hit the ground. Likewise, Robin cushioned Starfire's fall, and the two landed on the floor with a heavy thump.

Starfire blinked. Now that she was back on the ground, the odd feeling had disappeared and she felt quite aware of how she lay bridal style in Robin's arms. She blushed, but Robin was too busy being concerned to notice. He looked at her in distress. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, and they got to their feet. "Yes, I am 'the okay', but I do not understand." She bit her lip, rubbing her arm and glancing at the strange object in the high corner of the room. "How was I unable to fly? There was no reason for me to fall."

From where Beast Boy and Cyborg helped her down from their arms, Raven agreed. She too no longer felt the queasiness that had struck her while in the air. "I was in complete control. I should have been able to fly, just like Starfire."

Robin put a finger to his chin, thinking, and then faced Beast Boy. "Beast Boy, can you fly?"

The shape-shifter grinned. "Let's find out!" He jumped into the air, morphing into a hummingbird. However, no sooner than he had finished transforming, he switched back to a human and fell heavily to the ground, eyes wide. "Dude," he exclaimed, looking at the other Titans with a scared expression, "I didn't do that!"

"You didn't mean to change back?" Cyborg asked. Beast Boy shook his head, and then closed his eyes for a moment, scrunching up his nose in concentration. When he opened them again, the green boy appeared a little panicked.

"I can't transform at all now!"

Robin furrowed his brow, musing over the problem. As Cyborg helped Beast Boy to his feet, Starfire approached Robin. "Perhaps the Ding-Dong-Daddy is to blame?" she suggested. "He had a machine which made friend Raven and I unable to fly during the race for your briefcase if I remember correctly."

Robin considered the idea, and then shook his head. "No, this doesn't seem his style. And that doesn't explain why Beast Boy can't transform either. I'm pretty sure that whatever the machine up there hit us with, it wasn't Ding-Dong-Daddy's."

"You never know though, man," Cyborg said. "Ding-Dong-Daddy's car could do some crazy stuff; if it made Star and Raven stop flyin', then who else knows what it could do?" Robin opened his mouth to reply when he was cut off by the sound of static from the large screen on the wall. The shadowed outline of an electronically disfigured person appeared on the monitor.

"Welcome, Titans." A deep, unrecognizable voice echoed throughout the room. The team took defensive positions, and the person laughed. "Don't worry; I'm not planning on attacking you as long as you only do everything I say." Reluctantly, the Titans set down what weapons they had, though the group was still on edge. None of the teenagers had any intention of doing what he said just like that, but it might be worth it to listen to what the voice said. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, you might have noticed a little… change in your powers. And when I say change, I mean not having any. This is due to my little device that you saw in the corner of the room called a Power Neutralizer. You will be powerless as long as I have the machine."

As the nameless person spoke, Robin whispered to Cyborg. "He's using a voice modifier. Can you adjust the sound so we will recognize who it is?"

Cyborg shook his head. "No, I'd need my equipment back at tower to do that. Besides, if that machine neutralizes our powers, who knows it'll do to my mechanics? I don't know if I can even use my arm cannon right now."

Robin frowned, reaching into his belt for a weapon. "Well, I know one thing that doesn't require any powers to use." He'd only just wrapped his fingers around an explosive disk, however, when the voice stopped him.

"And don't even think about shooting down the Power Neutralizer, _Robin,_ for there is a protective shield around it. Even one of your little gadgets won't be able to get through." Robin narrowed his eyes and flung the disk anyway. He wasn't about to take the chance that he could have destroyed the machine at some point and didn't. His precise shot detonated directly over the Power Neutralizer, but once the smoke cleared, the device was untouched. The mystery person on the screen laughed, the voice modifier altering it creepily. "I told you."

Raven stepped forward, crossing her arms. "So now that you've gotten rid of our powers, what's your plan? World domination? Riches beyond galore? That's what you villains want, right?" she asked in a bored tone. The Power Neutralizer could be very dangerous if used correctly, and all of the Titans knew it, so of course they wished to find out what the criminal on the television had in mind.

The person shrugged, causing their figure to distort further. "Maybe later, but first you Titans are going to endure a few tests. If you can survive all of my games, you are welcome to the control room at the end where I'll be inside. Otherwise, you die."

"Not like we have much of a choice," Raven muttered under her breath.

Robin looked up at the screen. "Fine then, what are these games of yours?"

The Titans imagined the figure behind the screen grinning. "Tests of honesty. Of course, you will also be testing your fighting abilities, but that will come later if you haven't behaved yourselves very well. It's simple. This room -including the other ones that you will enter later- is one enormous lie detector. Say something that isn't true and I'll know it. The first task is simple in order to get you familiar with the games. Are you prepared?"

Robin glanced at his team, and they all nodded. He faced the screen. "We're ready."

"Good," the person said. "The first question is for Beast Boy." Hands in his pockets, the green shape-shifter strolled ahead of the other Titans with confidence and the came to a stop. He didn't have a lot of secrets, so he wasn't very worried about answering anything the dude on the television was going to ask. "Your question is… Have you ever eaten meat before?"

Beast Boy sighed. "Yeah I have, but it was only because _this_ guy-," he gestured to Cyborg who was grinning, "-snuck a chunk of steak into my tofu burger. But I got back at him the next day by switching his eggs with tofu eggs."

"Most disgusting thing I've ever tasted," Cyborg grimaced as Beast Boy walked back to his place in between the robotic teenager and Raven.

The person chuckled, the voice modifier making the sound low and eerie. "The next question is for Cyborg."

The robotic teenager marched up to face the television, crossing his arms. "Bring it, man! I can take anythin' you've got planned for me!"

A pause filled the room, and then the question was asked. "Have you ever not played honestly while competing in video games against Beast Boy?"

Cyborg didn't even blink. "Of course I have, man."

"Dude!" Beast Boy squeaked from his place with the other Titans. "I knew it!"

Cyborg smirked. "It's not what you think, BB. I've _let_ you win before is what I mean. If you lost all the time, then I wouldn't be able to stand all of your whining. It's easier to just let you win than have to deal with it." Beast Boy's jaw dropped, and the other members of the team suppressed smiles.

"He's telling the truth," the voice said, a smirk audible in his voice.

"Man, these are supposed to be hard questions?" Cyborg asked as he moved away. "This is gonna be a breeze."

"It gets harder as you go," the person snapped. "This is a walk in the park compared to what you will have to deal with later. I'm just scratching the surface. Raven," the voice barked. "You're next." Lowering her hood, the dark girl awaited her enquiry. "What do you think of Starfire's food?" Raven gave no physical reaction to the question, but Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg all sucked in a breath. They'd all been asked that by Starfire before, but the typical response they gave was that they 'had to be somewhere' or 'it's… nice' or something along those lines. Now, however, Raven had to answer truthfully or the voice would announce she that had lied. Starfire tilted her head, confused at the question. Why was it difficult to answer?

Raven responded. "I'd rather drink tea."

"That's not what I asked," the voice said. "Try again. Give Starfire a little more insight to your thoughts."

"It's unique."

"Hm… getting closer."

Raven sighed. "Starfire's food tastes like it is a delicacy from any planet other than Earth." The voice grunted, and Raven added quietly, "When I get over the churning of my stomach because of its taste, her meals are not entirely horrible. I've answered your question; can I go now?"

The person behind the screen was silent at first. "Fine, you get a break with this one, but don't expect me to be kind in the future. I'm not known for sentiment." This little statement was noted and stored into Robin's brain. Even if the person was boasting or just saying that to throw him off, the young detective knew that every little factor should be considered. Learning who was behind their relocation and the games might help the Titans discover how to take the villain down before anyone was physically harmed. Robin's thoughts were broken up by the next Titan being called on to answer their question. "Starfire! Your turn!" Nodding, the alien princess indicated her readiness. She had been fairly pleased with Raven's answer. Delicacies from her planet were difficult to create, and for her dark friend to compare Starfire's food to such meals was an enormous compliment. Raven, on the other hand, was just grateful that Starfire hadn't caught onto her sidestep of the question. The voice spoke. "Do you _really _enjoy spending time with all the other Titans as much as you say?"

Immediately, Starfire nodded. "Yes, very much so! I have much of the fun with my friends! Meditating with Raven is most enjoyable, and I love doing the lifting weights with Cyborg, as well as watching Beast Boy eat the tofu and doing the sparring with Robin! It is especially wonderful when we all do activities together, such as-."

The voice cut her off before she could continue. "Okay, thank you for the… thoughtful insight to that." By his tone, the mystery person had obviously expected a different answer, like something about how she wasn't the cheerful person she seemed to be. The Titans knew Starfire better than that; she was an honest and open person through and through. Now Robin approached the screen, prepared for his question. The voice from the screen let out a low laugh. "Robin, your question will be a little taste of what's coming in the difficult future for your team. What-," he paused dramatically, "-is your secret identity?"

As soon as the voice had described the "games" his team would endure, Robin had been anticipating this question; not that that he meant he wanted it. Even though he trusted his team with the person he was when he wasn't wearing the mask –he'd revealed it the Titans a few months ago– there was no way he was about to tell an anonymous person who could use it against him and the ones he loved. Behind the leader, his team tensed, but Starfire spoke before anyone else could respond.

"That is not for your ears to hear!" she exclaimed, clenching her fists. If she had still retained her starbolt abilities, Robin was certain that the alien princess's eyes would be glowing green.

"It's not your question," the villain retorted. The person leaned forward, a dark shadowed island filling up the screen. "Now, what is your answer, Robin?"

Robin glared at the inquirer. "Starfire said just what I was thinking; I'm not going to tell you. I'm not an idiot."

"Are you _sure_?" the voice stressed.

"I'm positive," Robin declared.

The figure shrugged, the effects on the television making the movement look strange. "Have it your way, but remember that I did try to warn you." The ground underneath Robin rumbled, and before any Titan could move, the floor rose up around the startled Titan's leader, concealing him from view. Moments later, the surface fell flat again, and Robin was gone completely. Starfire let out a cry of alarm, dropping to her knees. Her teammates could only stare at the floor in shock. Behind them, a door appeared in the wall and opened with a quiet _swish_. "Poof," the voice said, laughing. "When you're ready, the next task awaits." A chuckle came from the screen. "The mighty Robin fails the first and simplest interrogation of all. You really think that you can make it through the rest?" With those ominous words, the television screen flashed black.

Beast Boy was the one to break the long silence that followed. "Dude, he's just… Gone."

Starfire turned on him, her eyes shining with tears not yet spilt. "No, he is not! How can you say such a thing?! I refuse to believe that Robin is gone! He will come back for us! He has vanished before, and Robin returned then, just as he will now!" She was nose-to-nose with Beast Boy, anger plain in her expression, and Beast Boy felt drops of sweat forming on his forehead.

Cyborg placed a hand on her shoulder, and the alien girl looked at her friend. "It's okay, Star; I'm sure Rob will be fine. For now though, we should focus on the next 'game' that's comin' up. We'll need all our strength and confidence to handle questions like the one Robin got." When Starfire bit her lip uncertainly, Cyborg added, "Besides, Robin'll want us to keep goin' while he finds a way out."

Sniffing, Starfire nodded. Wiping her nose, she looked back at Beast Boy. "I offer the apologies, friend Beast Boy. I simply fear for Robin."

Beast Boy smiled a little, rubbing the back of his head. "No problem, Star. I don't blame you. We're all worried." With a grateful nod, Starfire and Cyborg started to make their way toward the door nearby, and Beast Boy joined Raven. They started walking too, and the shape-shifter glanced at the dark girl beside him. "How you doing, Rae?"

She glanced at him with a confused look, answering in her usual monotone manner. "Fine. Why would I be otherwise?"

Beast Boy shrugged, massaging his neck with one hand. "Well, I mean what just happened with Robin… Aren't you worried?"

"Of course I'm worried, Beast Boy," Raven replied, "but Robin is… Robin. I doubt he was killed without a big show from the villain who is putting us through all of this. If you haven't noticed from the years you've fought them, criminals tend to show off." She told the truth. Robin held a status for escaping from sure death traps, and the Titans had grown used to being convinced of his demise before he'd pop right back up again. It was for this reason that the team wasn't in despair over Robin's vanishing act.

Beast Boy laughed somewhat. "Yeah, I have noticed. It's one of the mistakes they usually make, because we take them down right after!" He punched his hand into his fist, and then, smirking, looked at her again. "But, uh, that's not what I meant. I wondered if you were worried about yourself." This surprised Raven, and it must have showed on her face because Beast Boy added, "I mean, no one likes having questions asked about their personal feelings and stuff all the time, and I wouldn't blame you if that's how you felt."

Raven lifted an eyebrow at him. "That's surprisingly insightful of you."

Beast Boy grinned, tapping his head. "Hey, it's not _all_ empty up here." He stopped as he walked into the wall, smacking his nose hard. The shape-shifter covered his face with his hands, blinking away pain tears. "Ow!"

Raven observed her friend with the trace of a smirk. "I was about to say something to prove you wrong, but I think you did that fine without any help from me." Beast Boy was too busy rubbing his nose to respond, and Raven rolled her eyes, continuing through the doorway. Beast Boy hurried to tag along behind her. In truth, Raven had been slightly concerned about what was to come, seeing as she out of all the other Titans had good reason to keep secrets to herself. While she'd revealed most -if not all- of her confidences to her friends, Raven still didn't see the need to expose every single little aspect about herself to anyone, and especially not to a villain who wished to use the information against her. Even though she'd never tell her teammate, Beast Boy _had_ helped her feel better, and she was grateful that the green boy had taken the time to speak to her about it.

"So, what should we call this dude behind the screen?" the shape-shifter asked, pulling her and the other Titans out of their thoughts.

"Why do we gotta call them anythin'?" Cyborg questioned, adding afterwards, "You know what we've told you about namin' stuff, BB. Don't-."

"Yeah, yeah, don't give them a name because you'll get attached." Beast Boy waved his hand like brushing off the comment. "I learned that from Silkie anyway. But no dude," he continued, "I don't want to keep referring to this thing as _the mysterious person that we don't know anything about who will probably kill us_." He faltered upon Starfire's sad glance in his direction. "O-or make us disappear. Or something like that. Y'know."

"Then why don't you just refer to it as the Voice?" Raven asked, lifting an eyebrow. "It's a lot shorter and doesn't involve pointless facts which we are already aware of."

Beast Boy tapped his finger against his chin, considering it. "Hm… Simple, but sweet! You're a genius, Rae!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Sure."

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**I'm not going to lie (because the Voice would be able to tell), but the main reason that I took so long to put this story up is because I ****simply ****could not decide on a title. Thank you to all of those other FanFiction authors who allowed me to bother them at the last minute for ideas.**

**As was decided by my poll, this story is going to have a slightly darker edge to it, but I'll keep my occasional comedy in there since I like a laugh as much as you guys do. Also, the Titans have a lot of difficult trials ahead of them, and like the Voice said, it will get a lot worse. Those questions were only scratching the surface. I may need ideas for what secrets are to be revealed in the future, but as of right now I have a few plans of my own. Reviews are forever welcome; they give me motivation to continue.**


	2. The Choose Room

**I apologize for my late update; long story short, I went on a three/four day vacation, got back to sleep in for about twelve hours only to wake up and leave an hour later for a friend's house that I would stay at for a two days. But I am back and have updated!**

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The structure of the next room appeared no different than the first one the Titans had been in; it was large, square, and white. However, one major difference existed in the objects occupying the space. On the center of the floor, an enormous golden scale –similar to that commonly known as _The Scales of Justice-_ hovered above a deep pit of flames. Upon closer inspection, Raven noted that the pit was actually filled with spikes that were on fire. Static on another wide television nearby fizzled away to reveal the same darkened figure.

Raven glanced at them. "Spiked flames? Really?"

"It's a precaution," the person stated.

"Yes, because fire has never been dangerous enough as is. You had to add spikes to it," Raven said sarcastically.

The villain chose to ignore her very good point and instead looked to the rest of the Titans. "I'm sure you're all wondering what is going on here, so I'll make it clear. Welcome to your first real test. I would explain the rules to you, but I think that a demonstration would be more… dramatic." A sound similar to the whirring of a helicopter was heard, and on top of the pair of scale platforms appeared two beings very dear to Starfire's heart. Trapped inside a glass box was the Titan's leader, very much alive and fighting to get out of the confined space with hand, foot, and utility belt weapons. The heat was taking its toll on him, as was obvious by the sweat that shone on his face and the frustrated expression he wore. Everyone knew Robin was blaming himself for being so weak as to be affected by a little thing such as temperature. Within another clear container, Silkie squirmed in circles looking very scared and confused.

"Starfire, you're up first," the Voice declared. Starfire watched with horror in her eyes as the scales lowered and lifted themselves up and down, falling and rising over the dangerous fire. "The object is simple; choose which of these two you do not want to be killed. Whoever you don't pick will be dropped into the flames below without a second thought. If you don't decide on one, then both will die. Choose wisely."

"Is he kiddin'? Tell me he's kiddin'," Cyborg requested. "How can he do this?!"

"Dude, that's Robin up there!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "But then… Silkie! That's not fair, dude! You can't do that! Who gives you the right?!"

Raven just watched silently, thoughts revolving about her head as she watched the flames lick greedily at the bases of the golden scale.

Starfire was frozen, unsure of what to do. She loved both Robin and Silkie, and she didn't want either of them to be killed, but if she didn't give an answer then both would be gone forever. Silkie was her pet, her bumgorf, someone who always tried her meals and would engage in her Tamaranean activities when the others wished not to. But Robin was her leader, a companion who always listened to her and protected her. He was a dear friend, and maybe more. Starfire took a deep breath, and the room was silent in an instant save for the crackling of fire.

"The one I choose is," Starfire said, holding her head as high as she could, "Robin." Her teammates each gave a small sigh, for while they cared for Silkie, Robin was their leader and close friend. The glass square around Robin vanished, and a staircase leading away from the scale appeared. The young leader stumbled down the steps and, reaching his team quickly, was tackled into a hug by Starfire. Robin prepared himself for the familiar bone-crushing embrace that always came with the alien girl's hugs, but was pleasantly surprised when he found himself not gasping for air. He'd forgotten that her powers were neutralized, and was glad to be able to return the embrace for once. A loud creak from the scale caught everyone's attention, and Robin and Starfire drew apart in time to see Silkie's scale dipping down into the flames. Before it hit, however, the humming helicopter sound vibrated throughout the air and Silkie vanished. The Titans exchanged puzzled looks, all except for Starfire who was crying into Robin's chest with relief that her little bumgorf had not been killed.

"Oh," the Voice said after a moment of confused silence. "Did I forget to mention that one of the choices will be a hologram?" Starfire blinked back her tears of relief and found that she was clutching Robin, who in his turn didn't seem to mind how close they were at the moment. The person on the television spoke once more. "Up next will be Cyborg."

Though his nerves were rattling a little due to the difficult choice he'd witnessed Starfire make, Cyborg moved forward and took on a confident stance. Two items appeared on the stands with the hum of a helicopter's propeller, and for him, this choice was just as difficult as Starfire's. Parked on the right platform of the scale, shining with wax and as smooth as the metal he wore, was the T-car, otherwise known as Cyborg's "baby". On the other side of the scale was an armor piece with a roughly sketched crescent moon on the breastplate and a sharpened sword underneath: the armor Cyborg had received from when he'd gone back in the past. He stared at the choices. One was a hologram, but which one was it? The real question was: which one could he afford to lose?

The Voice chuckled. "Hurry up, Cyborg. You're running out of time to decide."

As Cyborg struggled to find an answer, Raven approached Robin. Starfire was still at his side, recovering from her earlier exhausting choice. "You alright?"

Robin shrugged, giving his darker friend a small nod. "Feeling better," he replied, glancing at Starfire.

Raven's eyes smiled back. "Have any guess on who the person behind the screen is yet?"

Robin frowned. He hated not knowing the answer to something. "Not yet, but I have a few ideas in mind. At first I thought it was Master of Games, because he's putting us through tests," he explained, "but another possible suspect is Mad Mod. He tends to have big worlds for us to go through when we fight him. Overload could also be involved because of such advanced electronic equipment in here."

Raven nodded. "I'll keep it in mind."

Robin ran his hand down Starfire's arm absentmindedly to calm the girl. "What I really want to know is how all of our stuff was taken out of the tower and brought here."

In the meantime, Cyborg had at last settled on a decision. While he loved his T-car, it could be fixed if necessary –though he really hoped it wouldn't need to be- but the armor from the past was irreplaceable. He sighed, and then put on a brave face, proclaiming, "Yo man, just give me the armor!" Silence followed his request, and a creak from the scale filled the air. The bottom of the platform from underneath the scale opened up, and Cyborg's T-car crashed into the deep fiery pit. On the other side, the hologram of armor vanished.

The person on the screen cackled with laughter. "Your face is priceless. Isn't this game fun?"

With a low growl, Cyborg punched his metal fist into the ground, leaving a heavy indention where he hit. If he could have brought out his arm cannon, he would have done so a long time ago, but something in the Power Neutralizer was jamming the electronics from doing everything he wanted. At least he still had his strength.

A slight hand touched Cyborg's shoulder, and the robotic teenager looked back to see Starfire's worried face, Robin standing just behind her. "Here, here, Cyborg. You can repair the T-car, correct? You have done it before."

Raven glanced at the pit where the skeleton of the vehicle burned. "Or at least start from scratch," she added.

"Yeah, dude! Didn't you want to install seat warmers or something anyway?" Beast Boy reminded, wearing a grin. "Now you can!" Raven rolled her eyes at him. Sniffing, Cyborg wiped his nose with a grateful smile for his teammates.

"I guess so," he said, nodding. "We do need seat warmers."

"And would you rather have lost the armor?" Raven murmured, knowing how much it meant to him. Cyborg looked at her, his answer clear in his eyes, and Raven almost smiled.

The Voice interrupted. "As touching as all this is, the games are not even close to finished. Raven, next." The empath set her shoulders, walking forward a few steps and crossing her arms.

On the scales materialized two small, almost insignificant items had it been anyone but Raven's things. One was an average-sized book, the cover white with black scrawling on the front. Its pages fluttered back and forth in the heat. The second object was a small, handheld mirror encircled by a black and red spiked frame.

Raven's arms were trembling with rage. "You went into my room," she growled, eyes blazing.

The Voice expressed no remorse. "How else was I supposed to get your things? And _you_? But don't feel bad; your visit wasn't special. Trips were made into everyone's quarters."

Raven snarled, her hands curled in tight fists. "You psychotic, insane little-." She choked on her breath as the scale suddenly jerked, tipping both the book and mirror back and forth dangerously.

"Make your choice, Raven." The Voice had suddenly turned dark. "And watch your insults."

The choice should have been simple. Raven needed her mirror to keep her powers under control. She should have been _begging_ for the book to be real so it would burn when dropped into the fire. Yet, she was at a stalemate. Malchior remained trapped within the book, and while Raven had been unable to bring herself to look at it for a long time, she couldn't get rid of it either. Raven groaned. Her head was screaming at her, all the emotions telling the empath in their own way how she should _not_ choose the book over the mirror.

Behind her, Raven's teammates shifted worriedly. They all were quite aware of the importance of the book and mirror, and why destroying either could cause disastrous results. Who knew what burning Malchior's book might cause? Maybe the dragon would be freed, and then the Titans would be trapped within the big white room without powers to fight –and probably die- at the hands of the giant reptile. Raven's mirror was linked with her mind, and if the mirror broke, did that mean the dark sorceress's mind did too?

"Tick, tock, tick, tock," the Voice chanted. "Hurry up, Raven."

Beast Boy rubbed his arm, gaze flickering back and forth between Raven and the golden scale above. Even more than the others, he knew what a hard decision this was for his friend. For one, the shape-shifter had visited her mirror before, however unintentional it had been. He'd helped her defeat her Rage then. He also was there when Malchior first appeared, taken Raven's heart, and then broke it. As much as he, and all the other Titans, hated Malchior, Beast Boy understood why Raven couldn't choose. The Titan lifted his eyebrows in concern. He had a hard time watching one of his closest friends struggle like she was, and the green teenager's foot was just about to step toward her when Raven's low voice filled the near-silent room.

"Get that book out of my sight," she whispered harshly. Her back was to her friends. The bottom of the scale dropped out from under Malchior's prison, the golden metal flashing in the fiery light. The book tumbled through the air, pages fluttering, and caught fire. The spine clipped a spike, tearing a strip off that likewise burst into flames. A shrill shriek filled the air, and though it could have come from the whine of the fire, the sound sent shivers down the teenagers' backs. The scream cut off, switching into a high laugh that faded as the pages of the book dissolved into ash.

Raven watched all the while wearing a blank face, her insides hollow. The hologram of her mirror vanished, and, without a word, she walked back to her friends. The empath stopped in between Cyborg and Beast Boy, hood covering her expression. The two boys exchanged glances, about to speak, but the voice interrupted.

"Beast Boy is the last one for this test." Swallowing, Beast Boy stepped forward. Seeing Cyborg's beloved car and Raven's book destroyed so easily, he was more than nervous. What did the person behind the screen have in store for him?

"I've been looking forward to this one," the villain confessed. "While in my opinion, it's not really difficult, I know how much Beast Boy _loves_ these things. This was more out of curiosity to see what he would choose." The whirring sound echoed throughout the room, and two objects came into view. One was the very familiar game station that Beast Boy and Cyborg always sat on for hours in front of the television playing. The other item wasn't even something Beast Boy owned, but every Titan knew he wanted it very badly; he'd pestered each of them to help him get it.

"Dude, a Mo-ped Scooter? That's not mine though!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"It could be if you chose it," the villain cooed. "Just say the word and it could easily be yours, as long as you're willing to give up the game station."

"Wait…" Beast Boy was confused. "You'd give it to me? Why?" The person on the television said nothing in response, leaving Beast Boy in perplexed silence. Of course he wanted the Mo-ped, but it wasn't his, and his game station had countless hours, probably months, of hard work on it; that is, if it still had the memory card in it. Beast Boy faced his teammates behind him with a helpless expression.

"You have always wanted a… Mo-ped, yes?" Starfire asked.

"But it's not his," Robin reminded her. "Would it be right to choose it? What if it's a hologram?"

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah man, I don't know if I'd want all my high scores topping yours to be burned up. I just lost my car, and that would really stink to lose the station as well. Then again," he added, "a Mo-ped would be helpful so you wouldn't bother me to make you one while I'm making another car."

Beast Boy looked at Raven for a response, but the dark girl just lowered her hood, glancing at the scale. The person behind the screen was right. It wasn't about the worth of the things up there; this was about if Beast Boy was willing to give up something to get something else that wasn't his. As the other Titans stated their opinions, Raven said one sentence, and though it was difficult to hear, Beast Boy's sharp ears picked it up.

"It's up to you."

Beast Boy turned around, knowing his answer. He looked at the person behind the screen. "I'm keeping my game station, dude. That Mo-ped isn't mine."

"Are you sure?" the deep Voice questioned.

Beast Boy nodded.

The bottom of the platform holding up the Mo-ped Scooter opened up, and Beast Boy cringed, waiting for it to fall to the pit of fire and spikes, but to everyone's surprise the Scooter hovered in the air. The hum sounding like a helicopter was heard, and the vehicle vanished. Beast Boy let out a relieved breath. He glanced up and saw that his game station had disappeared too. "Dude, where's my stuff?!"

"It has been transported back to your home," was the answer. "If you ever reach it, you'll be able to spend hours of your time on it later in life. That is, if you're still alive." To their right, a door slid open where the Titans' next challenge awaited. Before the screen flashed black, the person said, "I realize that Robin didn't get a turn this time, but seeing how he was part of the challenge I'll let this one go. But don't think refusing to answer my question will let you live next time. I assumed that you wouldn't answer your identity question at first, but you'll crack. You just need the right _incentive."_ The television shut off, and the Titans started walking toward the doorway at an unhurried pace.

Cyborg was talking with Beast Boy about his choice. "Man, I couldn't believe it when you chose the game station. I really expected you to decide otherwise."

"You're just bad at choosing," Beast Boy teased, smirking. His face dropped a little. "It _was _hard to pick though. I almost took the Mo-ped instead."

"What changed your mind?"

Beast Boy smiled. "I listened to my friends. Some of the stuff you guys said actually made sense. Not _you,_ of course, but Rob, Star, and Raven made some good points."

"Well, of course _they _make good points…," Cyborg muttered to himself, pretending to be irritated with his friend. He walked further ahead, and Raven soundlessly took his place beside Beast Boy. He smiled at her in greeting as she regarded him.

"You made a good choice," she said quietly.

Beast Boy scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I couldn't have done it without your guys's advice. It was hard."

Raven shook her head. Despite how much the shape-shifter must have wanted the Mo-ped, she'd held faith in him. Beast Boy was a good person at heart, and she was certain that he would have chosen the right decision in the end with or without the other Titans there. "We weren't the ones who made the final decision."

"Thanks." With another smile for her, Beast Boy glanced behind them at the scale with the flames raging beneath it. Traces of burnt paper were still visible there. "So, are you okay?" Raven stiffened, and Beast Boy immediately regretted asking. "O-oh, sorry. I didn't mean-."

"He wouldn't have felt much pain," Raven interrupted, narrowing her eyes. A dark anger resided in them, but Beast Boy caught the hidden sadness buried beneath it. Under her breath, she added, "It's not like he felt much anyway."

Beast Boy's ears drooped for her sake, as the empath seemed to sink further into her cloak. The green boy touched her shoulder, halting the withdrawal, and Raven glanced at him. He offered her a small smile. "It was about time he left anyway."

Raven shrugged, but her retreat remained stopped. At least she wasn't hiding anymore.

Ahead of them, Robin and Starfire were walking side by side through the doorway into the next room. Robin glanced to the side. "Hey, Star?" At the sound of his voice, Starfire directed all of her attention to Robin and she tilted her head curiously. Robin couldn't help but smile at her. "Thanks for choosing me over Silkie. I know how hard it must have been, and even if he was just a hologram, I appreciate it."

Starfire brightened, her emerald eyes shining. She had realized after her friend had been returned to her just how close she'd come to losing Robin. All it would have taken was a simple change of her mind, and the young leader would have been gone, lost in the pool of fire and spikes. "It was a difficult choice, but I do not regret it. I am glad that neither my little bumgorf nor my friend was harmed." Shyly, she took Robin's hand. "But I would be very saddened if I lost you, Robin."

Robin stammered for a response, but, finding that his words wouldn't obey him, gave up trying to answer and blushed furiously instead. Starfire noted with joy that his hand tightened over hers.

* * *

**Oh, I couldn't get rid of Robin just like that! I just had to give you all a little scare. Though the Voice won't be as nice next time; he will try to find out Robin's secret identity again. But it's all part of the game.**

**I really LOVE hearing your guesses for who the Voice is; I promised myself that I wouldn't confirm nor deny any of the guesses because then I'd give it away, but please keep guessing!**


	3. The Computer Room

"Welcome back."

The Titans entered the next white confinement to find it was relatively dull compared to the heated golden scale that occupied the previous room. The current space was considerably smaller, barely half the size of the ops room back in the tower. Ignoring the large black screen hung high above them, the team of heroes absorbed the setup of five computer desks lined in a row facing the wall. Each desk supported an everyday laptop, complete with identical mice and chairs for one to sit in.

The television overhead buzzed to life, and the familiar dark image leapt onto the screen. The pixels shifted, presumably a hand motioning to the desks. "Take a seat," the Voice commanded.

Robin's mask tightened, wrinkling the middle at the bridge of his nose. "What is this for?"

A sigh was heard. Apparently the Voice's patience was running thin. "Must you question everything? _Take a seat_. The reason will be revealed shortly."

Robin scowled, casting an irresolute glance over his shoulder at the Titans behind him. Cyborg shrugged while Beast Boy frowned at the screen with distrust in his green eyes. Raven simply returned Robin's look, awaiting her leader's decision. Squeezing his hand, Starfire brought Robin's attention to her, and she spoke quietly. "Perhaps while our cooperation will not free us, it may bring us closer to our desired freedom," the beautiful girl implored.

Her words expressed intelligence, and, exhaling, Robin nodded to his team. Receiving nervous but understanding expressions in response, he and the rest of the Titans reluctantly took up separate positions in the given chairs. Silence passed in the few seconds that followed, and then, without warning, the ground rumbled. White walls sprouted from the floor, separating the teenagers into individual boxes. Robin had taken but a step when Starfire disappeared behind the barrier, her eyes wide and terrified. Starfire's startled exclamation echoed throughout the air before the Titans were cut off from one another entirely.

"Wait!" Starfire slammed her fists against the wall where she'd last seen Robin, but without her strength, the girl's actions caused nothing other than her hurting her hands. Grasping her fingers and massaging them tenderly, the alien princess cast a nervous eye over the solid walls. The room seemed to be drawing in slowly, closing in on her and tightening the box. An anxious heat burned within Starfire, and her breathing increased and heart thudded frantically.

Shaking her head, Starfire willed the walls to stop, and they did along with the pounding in her chest. After a few moments of waiting for something to happen with no result, the Titan saw no other option other than to use the single thing in the room that taunted her. Taking a deep breath, Starfire lowered herself into the chair and touched a light finger to the keyboard.

* * *

Beast Boy lifted a confused eyebrow, staring at the screen. "Dude, what is this? A test or something?" Sure enough, the laptop monitor displayed nothing other a single page of questions. The green boy ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Seriously?! I'm horrible at tests! Give me a monster to fight or something! After I get my powers back, I mean," he added. Beast Boy sighed and clicked on the first empty space.

_Name_:

Beast Boy smiled. "Huh, well, that's not too hard." He typed in his hero name slowly, mind wandering. It was a relief not to be scared of small spaces; even as it was, the small, closed room was a bit creepy. If he was claustrophobic, there was no doubt the shape-shifter would be curled up in a corner with arms wrapped around his legs and very possibly sucking on his thumb. He smirked at the embarrassing image and then focused on the following question.

_What is your biggest fear?_

"Hm…," Beast Boy mused, running the question past his brain. He knew he wasn't fearless; no one was, not even the emotion-dry Raven who denied it whenever accused. There were a lot of answers that the shape-shifter considered putting down, but when it came to choosing a single one, Beast Boy found himself at a draw. With a shrug, he typed _I don't know; _hopefully the test would not be graded on answering correctly. Smiling at his simple response, the teenager clicked the NEXT button. A small loading symbol appeared beside his mouse, and then suddenly the screen shut off.

Beast Boy leaned toward it in confusion. "Huh?"

The monitor flashed, blinding the young hero momentarily with its bright light, and Beast Boy rubbed furiously at his eyes. The air thickened and cooled. Wondering why it no longer felt like the room was so small, Beast Boy blinked away the white dots behind his eyes and focused on the scene before him.

To his surprise, Beast Boy had changed locations. No longer was he in the white prison of an unknown enemy, but now instead in a larger, different room. A receptionist desk rested in a rectangular indention in the wall, and, all throughout the square space, chairs had been placed in rows, Beast Boy being seated in one at the front. The Titan recognized his location as a doctor's waiting room. Uncertainty stirring in his chest, Beast Boy got to his feet and addressed the blonde female behind the greeter desk. She was bent over a pile of papers, her pen working furiously. "Uh, excuse me? Lady? What am I doing here?"

Something tugged on the hem of his shirt, and Beast Boy looked down to find Cyborg at his side. The green boy blinked, realizing the rest of the Titans were sitting nearby as well. Cyborg smirked, yanking his friend down into the chair once again. "Calm down, grass stain. You're here for your check-up, just like we told ya about earlier."

"Told me earlier?" Beast Boy echoed, scratching his head. "When earlier exactly?"

Raven, reading a thin book in a chair on Beast Boy's other side, rolled her eyes. "After we defeated the Voice. When else, idiot?"

"But we-." Beast Boy cut off, trying to remember. "We defeated him? Who… Who was he?"

Robin's voice came from behind, and Beast Boy turned around to look at his leader, Starfire in the chair next to him. "Raven, Cyborg, you know he doesn't remember. That's why we're here."

"Yes, friend Beast Boy!" Starfire smiled widely, tilting her head and clasping her hands together on her lap. "You were injured in the fight, and so we have brought you to the man of healing in order to restore your memory!"

Beast Boy returned her creepily optimistic expression with a skeptical one of his own. "But I kinda figure I would remember something like that. Is something going on here?"

"Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy faced the receptionist desk at the call of his name, and his jaw went slack. A cold sweat claimed him upon identifying the woman's face. "T-Terra?"

Terra gave no sign of recognition and pointed her pen at a white door. "Through there, please. The doctor will be with you shortly." Stiff with shock, Beast Boy took no action to move, and soon he felt himself being guided toward the entryway. A quick glance back at his friends established that none were acting as if they knew who Terra was; it was almost as if they couldn't see her. The nerves churning in Beast Boy's stomach increased. "Uh, guys? Seriously, I'm kinda freaked out here."

Not one of his friends responded. He was completely ignored, not even granted a single glance. Beast Boy slowed his walking as they reached the door, and Starfire pulled it open to reveal a long lone hallway ending in a doctor's chamber. Beast Boy locked up, digging his heels into the ground. "Guys! What the heck?! I really don't think I wanna go in there!"

Despite his dead weight, the odds were still four against one, and the Titans lifted Beast Boy up off of the floor with ease. He started struggling, rolling over and kicking at the air without a result. A quick shove from his teammates, and he stumbled forward to land perfectly in the doctor's chair. The shape-shifter sprang to his feet only to be shoved back into it by the iron grips of his friends' hands. Latches and fastens snapped shut over his ankles and wrists, and, without warning, the Titans vanished. Beast Boy jerked at the clasps, willing himself to transform before remembering that he was unable to. The hallway darkened, leaving him alone in the chair.

Footsteps echoed up to the captive teenager, and his ears perked optimistically. Whatever had caused such a terrifying change in his environment and friends was honestly more than a little disconcerting, and Beast Boy wanted out of it. The hope in his chest plummeted when it was Terra who emerged from the darkness. She wore her black Titan uniform, and a concerned expression graced her features. "Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy refused to acknowledge her worried tone; whatever had happened to the other Titans might have affected her too. His fears were confirmed when she knelt in front of him, looking up into his eyes and pulling out a needle from behind her. Inscribed on the barrel was a red _S._ "Don't worry; this will only take a moment."

The needle glinted in the hot light, and Beast Boy stared at it, his hands tightening on the arms of his chair. "Terra, please don't," he gasped.

Terra slanted her head curiously, standing. "What's the matter? Would you rather your friends do it?"

Beast Boy pressed back against the support of his seat. "Did… did _you_ change them? Making them act so… just weird?"

The small smile that Terra wore expanded into a full grin, no less creepy than Starfire's previous positively eerie face. The blonde girl spun the needle around on her palm, smirking at Beast Boy. "Of course not; I didn't do anything to them. If anyone, it's you who needs help." She shook her head at the shape-shifter's bewildered expression and touched his arm, turning it over. "Here you are for just a check-up, and you're all freaked out!"

Beast Boy squirmed as she rolled up his sleeve. "What kind of a check-up issues a shot without even diagnosing the patient?!"

Terra chuckled. From behind the blonde girl came movement, and Raven and Starfire appeared, each possessing a large needle in their grasps. Two sets of hands suddenly squeezed Beast Boy's shoulders and arms, stiffening his limbs and making it impossible to move. Out of the corner of his eye, Beast Boy caught sight of Cyborg and Robin. All the Titans wore blank looks, but their strength was at full as they detained their green teammate.

"No!" Beast Boy gave up trying to stay calm and thrashed about, though Robin and Cyborg's grips would allow little movement. "Stop! Let me go!" The girls drew near, Raven taking hold of his right arm and Starfire his left. Terra touched the tip of her needle against his bare skin, casting Beast Boy a calm, comforting look.

"Relax," she instructed. "This won't hurt too much."

* * *

"Greatest fear? Like I'm going to put that down," Robin muttered, ignoring the first question on the computer page. With an annoyed grunt, he clicked the NEXT button at the bottom corner of the screen and waited for the page to load. As he crossed his arms, Starfire's horrified expression flickered through his mind once again. It would be difficult to forget the fear that struck Robin upon hearing her cry; the sound of Starfire's distress inflicted more emotion in the young leader than any of the tasks he'd endured thus far.

Robin squeezed his eyes shut as the computer monitor flashed without warning, causing spots to appear in the leader's vision. Blinking until the light blemishes disappeared, Robin found himself swaying back and forth in a small wooden seat like that of a swing. Shaking his head, the teenager scanned his surroundings. Colorful, curved walls of a tent made up the ceiling, and the cloth rounded down to the ground. A large audience sat nearby in rows upon rows of chairs, watching the center ring in anticipation for the next stunt. It took a moment for Robin to realize that _he_ was the next feat.

Suspended above the ground of the big top, Robin recognized the layout of a trapeze artist, and he was only one of the acrobats about to perform. Upside-down with her legs hooked on the base of the swing, Starfire was smiling at Robin. Her scarlet hair flew back and forth as she swayed through the air, an expectant, but joyful and cheered expression on her face. A panic alarm resonated throughout Robin's head. He had witnessed a scene very similar to this before when his parents had died.

"Are you ready, Robin?" Starfire called to him, peering at the young leader through her wild hair. Robin shook his head no, eyes darting about the circus tent. His sights landed on three recognizable faces down below; Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy had all come to see the show. Cyborg and Beast Boy each held a bag of popcorn and were chewing on it excitedly while Raven watched them in disgust. Robin signaled to them, trying to alert the teenagers to the coming danger, but the trio simply waved back.

"I am going to jump now, Robin!" Starfire alerted, her bright voice drawing Robin back to the girl.

His heart caught in his throat as she swung back. One of the ropes holding her weakened, starting to unravel. "No, Star, don't! Wait!"

Robin's words were too slow, and just as the alien princess jumped, the cord snapped. Starfire's release was unbalanced, and horror flickered across the beautiful teenager's face when she realized the mistake. Still hanging onto his swing, Robin dove forward, hand inches from hers but grasping air. Starfire shrieked and she plummeted down, out of Robin's reach and into an endless pit of black.

Screams from the audience filled Robin's ears and he could only stare at the hole below him where the circus ring should have been. His heart hammered in his chest, and the teenager felt sick. How could he be losing the ones he cared about? How could this be happening to him? He was losing his family all over again! All thoughts were ripped from his mind when suddenly the rope holding him up jolted. Robin had enough time to turn toward it when his cable too gave way. A cry was torn from his lips and the circus vanished from view as he dropped into the dark void.

* * *

Starfire's vision cleared from the monitor's flash in time to sense the walls that surrounded her creak and shift. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again. It wasn't an illusion; the walls really were slowly closing in around her. The alien princess whirled around to face the computer again, hoping to find something there to stop whatever had triggered the trap, yet the laptop –as well as the desk and chair- had disappeared. Heat rose in the girl's face, and she ran into one of the walls, banging her fists against it until they were raw. Her actions changed little, if anything just causing the walls to shrink even faster.

Starfire released a sob, dropping to the center of the room and covering her head with her hands. The quiet rasp of the walls scraping over the floor filled the empty space, concealing the moans that escaped Starfire's mouth. She couldn't fly, she couldn't stop the walls with her strength, and she couldn't break free with her starbolts. She was helpless and trapped and about to be crushed. The breath caught in her throat, and Starfire felt as if she was going to pass out.

The girl clenched her fingers into fists, lifting her head. She was a warrior, and she refused to be trapped and killed without a fight, no matter how hopeless the situation. Starfire pushed off of the ground, scanning the shrinking room for a way out. The floor couldn't be entirely connected, or the walls wouldn't be able to move. Pressing her face to the floor, Starfire swallowed her fear as she peered down and noticed a small slit at the base of the wall. Despite the imminent doom slowly growing in her chest, a flicker of hope appeared in the alien princess's heart.

The gap was barely enough for her to slip her fingers under, but when Starfire strained to pull it up or push it out, the result was none. With a frustrated grunt, Starfire jerked back and fell once again into the center of the even smaller room. The height of the box was now too low for the girl to stand, and Starfire crawled over to the wall again, struggling against it. The faces of her teammates flashed through her mind. What would her friends do?

In the terror that was gradually taking a hold on her mind, Starfire found it easier to focus on that question rather than how to escape. Her attempts were useless, and the only way to keep a clear head and avoid breaking down was to think of something else. What would her friends do? Beast Boy would transform into a bug and crawl away. Raven could simply phase through the wall. Cyborg either would punch his way out or find the control panel with his technology and shut it down from within. Starfire knew that, however her friends might have done it with their powers, she herself had none as of now. Then again, Robin never had any powers, and he would have found a way out by now, most likely by using one of his disks to explode or remove the wall.

Starfire's hand flew to her belt, suddenly realizing that she was not completely helpless. She had a tool. Two actually. How had she not thought of it before? Feeling the walls brushing her arms and the top of her head, Starfire disconnected her belt, withdrawing her communicator first and setting off a distress signal. Not waiting for a response, the alien princess started stabbing the clasp of her belt into the wall. Satisfaction rippled through her as a plaster chip crumbled to the ground. She started working vigorously, striking her belt clasp against the wall at the bottom. Time slowed as Starfire fought for her life, and the wall was quickly coming apart. However, she wouldn't be fast enough.

Her arm sore and exhausted from activity, desperation overcame the girl, though she refused to stop even while knowing there wasn't enough time. A frantic cry of help came from within her, and soon she found herself repeating the plea over and over. The wall pressed against her from behind, and Starfire released one last shout.

Suddenly the wall broke apart from the outside, collapsing into a pile of rubble, and Starfire stumbled out to land on her knees with a painful thud. Air rushed into her lungs, and the girl bent over, gasping as her senses returned and her chest filled with oxygen. She had barely recovered, however, when two scaly hands grasped her own and latched a pair of advanced handcuffs around her wrists. Starfire's heart thudded, and she looked up into a pair of deep violet eyes.

"Hello, sister."

* * *

"I am scared of… tofu." Cyborg chuckled as he typed his lie into the computer. No doubt his answer would be looked into, analyzed and evaluated, and then conjured into the perfect nightmare. When one was asked by an enemy about their greatest fear, following with a hallucination of the given fear would only be logical. It would all come later, however, for it would take a while to construct such a scene, especially one about tofu. Not that Cyborg was scared of tofu; he only responded in that manner so to easily conquer whatever obstacle the Voice created. There was no way the robotic teen had a trace of fear within him for the gelatin substance. Although he _had_ forgotten about that one reoccurring nightmare where tofu tried to eat him and forced Cyborg to eat the soy food in order not to be consumed.

The Titan clicked the NEXT button and propped his feet up on the table, anticipating the next question page and his freedom from the enclosed room. He couldn't wait to see what the Voice tried to do with his response. Then again, there always was the lie detector… Cyborg frowned, removing his legs from the desk. He had forgotten about that.

His monitor flashed brightly, and through the fading white light Cyborg managed to make out a tall, thin form approaching. The robotic teen shook his head, his eyesight clearing, and recognized none other than Fixit standing above him. Fixit was the lonely being who lived underground with robots as his friends, and he had very nearly turned Cyborg into one before the Titan managed to convince him otherwise. Recently, the two had become close friends; seeing as Fixit needed exposure to the real world and Cyborg needed a friend acquainted with mechanics, it only made sense.

The man leaned over Cyborg, his blank blue eyes fixated on the teenager. "Wake up, Cyborg. It is done. It is fixed."

"Fixit? Hey man, what are you doin' here?" Cyborg asked, greeting his friend with a smile. He made as if to rise from his chair before realizing that he was strapped down. The Titan squinted, turning his attention back to Fixit, and the man's words caught up to Cyborg. "Wait, what? What do you mean?" A familiar flicker of worry ran through him, all the way down to his toes. "_Please_… Tell me you didn't do what I think you did…?"

In response, Fixit reached for something behind him on a small table. Cyborg peered around the room, feeling his electronic eye zooming in and out on objects. It was dark in the room with many selves lining the walls, stacked with numerous equipment and items. Presently Cyborg was stretched out on a flat sheet of metal that was tilted upwards. Several glowing red eyes of Fixit's robots in the background appeared and vanished just on the edge of the darkness. Many more could be heard scuttling around.

Fixit faced Cyborg again, his thin face as always in a stone-like emotionless state, and the tall man held up a small, open square. Cyborg didn't understand. Who was standing behind Fixit? Had the mechanic created another robot that Cyborg had yet to meet? Just over Fixit's shoulder hovered a large robot, its face gray, silver, and blue with two piercing red eyes on either side of its head. Cyborg frowned stiffly, watching the robot mirror his actions. Horrible understanding dawned on Cyborg, and the robot took on a ridged expression of shock.

"See for yourself," Fixit said, holding the mirror closer for Cyborg to view clearly. "All human components have been deleted. Cybernetic upgrades completed."

Fear gripped Cyborg in its strong fist. "No!" he gasped, jerking back to clang against the slate behind him and seeing his mirror-self reflect his actions. "I don't want this! I didn't ask for this! Fixit, I thought you-!"

"Do not fear," Fixit soothed, lowering the hated mirror from view. He pressed a button to the side, and Cyborg's platform rotated in a circle. "I am Fixit; I can fix this. He can fix this," he stated, nodding to an unseen figure standing in the darkness nearby.

* * *

"Hey Rae, wanna play a game with Cy and me?" Beast Boy called to Raven, waving a controller in her direction. The empath barely registered the shaking of her head in a negative response, and she flipped a page in her book. Beast Boy shrugged, settling on the couch with Cyborg as the two started up a game of Mega Monkeys. Raven walked out of the ops room quickly as the lively music shot out of the television speakers, the noise cutting in half as turned a corner toward her sleeping quarters.

The book was particularly gripping at this point, and Raven had to feel around for the button to open her bedroom door because she was so captivated by the storyline. The plot was at its peak, and only a few pages remained. Raven eventually made it into her sleeping quarters and fell onto her bed, sights glued to the book. Before long -due to her superb reading skills- but a single leaf of paper remained for her eyes to drink in. Raven flipped the page, stopping short.

It was blank.

"What?" Raven hissed, feeling very cheated of the ending. She rubbed the few last pages in between her fingers, wondering if the paper managed to stick together, but no such luck. Beyond irritated, the empath flipped through the book as if doing so would address her curiosity for the ending, and then she froze as a voice came from the last page.

"Do you wish to know the ending, my sweet Raven?"

Bile rose in her throat, and Raven flung the book across the room. It bounced off of the wall to land with its pages flying open. Malchior's voice rose from within. "You should be gentler, my dear Raven; I thought you would have realized that since the first time we met."

The dark sorceress struggled to keep her emotions from appearing on her face. "You're dead. Burned."

Malchior chuckled, the book's pages fluttering. "One cannot simply destroy one as powerful as myself with flames; I breathe fire, remember? I escaped into another book, dear. I refused to be parted from you without a goodbye kiss."

Raven tightened her fists, levitating the book into the air so quickly it smashed into the ceiling. She swung her arm to the side, and Malchior's paperback prison hit her bedroom wall, crumpling to the ground. A low laugh elevated into the air, the pages flapping and detaching from the cover to swirl above the book. The paper attached to itself, sticking together to create a human-like form. Raven stepped back, her eyes glowing with magic, but Malchior just waved his newly-formed hand and the girl found herself powerless. Another flick of his wrist, and Raven's arms were trapped against her sides. Malchior approached, his eyes traveling up and down.

"Now Raven," he soothed in a sickeningly sweet manner, placing his hands on her shoulders. Malchior leaned forward, pressing his paper cheek against hers and whispering in her ear. "You know that you made me very, very angry, trapping me in that book again. And without my consent."

Raven glared at him from the corner of her eye. "And you made me beyond furious, betraying me and my trust." She willed her arms to break free from their frozen position, but whatever spell that Malchior had cast on her was strong. The girl was straining so hard to move that exhaustion had begun to tire her muscles.

Malchior laughed darkly, cupping her chin and forcing her to meet his eyes. She poured as much hatred into her gaze as she could conjure, longing for the paper the dark dragon wore to alight with flame. "Oh, my dearest Raven-."

"I am not yours!" Raven spat viciously.

"Ah, but you are." Malchior released her, folding his hands behind his back and walking slowly around the immobile girl. "For who else would want you? You are not kind, compassionate, or loving. You, like me, are a dark soul, a demon child that no one can love save those who wish for your power, and then it is only that power they desire. For how could one care for such a creature so… How was it that green fool put it?" The man grabbed her arm in tight fingers, breathing on her neck. "Creepy?"

"Don't _touch_ me!" Raven visibly snapped, and suddenly a burst of blood red magic shot up between her and Malchior, the wicked man pulling back just in the nick of time to avoid catching fire. A deep chuckle rose in his throat, and if he wore a perceptible mouth, it was sure to be smiling. Raven, finding herself able to move, whirled around to attack the paper man, but he had evaporated into thin air.

His words echoed throughout the corners of her room. "Let's see how much your friends love your dark side, dearest Raven." The floor rumbled, knocking a few objects from Raven's dresser, and then the movement ceased, as did Malchior's voice. An angry haze still obscuring her vision, the dark teenager approached the fallen things that now lay on the ground and recognized one being her meditation mirror. Kneeling down, Raven lifted the miniature glass to eye level.

Staring back at her was an altered version of herself, one who wore a scarlet cloak and bore shimmering red eyes. Hesitantly, Raven reached up for her hood and a bitter disturbance stirred in her stomach when the mirror image responded in the same movement. Lowering the top of her cloak, Raven watched as two more eyes were revealed on her forehead just above her first pair. Her mirror image –who could only be Rage- lifted her hand and waved, a wide grin splitting her face. With a will of its own, Raven's hand obeyed and copied Rage's action. The emotion smirked, mouthing the words, '_Now I'm you'. _She smiled.

A fist hammered on Raven's door, and Robin's voice rang out. "Raven?! Raven, are you okay?! We heard an explosion!"

Piecing together Malchior and Rage's words, Raven immediately understood what would happen if her teammates entered through the forbidden doorway into her bedroom. She shouted at them. "No! Don't come in!"

Beast Boy answered this time, concern weighing down his voice. "Why?! What's wrong, Raven?"

Raven struggled to speak; Rage was bubbling up in her throat, taking over her words. "I-I'm n-not myself. G-get away from me."

"Seriously? That ain't happening, Raven." It was Cyborg who had spoken this time.

Starfire followed him. "Yes, Raven. Not while you use such a troubling tone!"

They were too kind and too concerned, and it was going to get them killed. Raven's palm gripped around the bedpost, stopping her feet from dragging her body toward the door. Her mouth and hands were the only things she could still control. As it was, Rage was already causing things around her room to combust and fly about. "Leave! Now!" she gasped, her hand losing its hold.

Someone could have stabbed a hole in her chest and it still couldn't have been as excruciating as Robin's words. "We're coming in!" Hot liquid stole its way down her cheek and Raven could do nothing but watch as Robin kicked her door down, he and the team spilling into her bedroom only to stop short at the scene before them.

* * *

**So, that's about five cliffhangers. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Your reviews are over the top and I'm astounded by all the follows and favorites this is getting already. I love hearing your guesses and I can't wait for more.**


	4. The Fear Room

**I'm sorry about the short delay for an update everyone, but this chapter is almost double a regular chapter's length, so that should hopefully make up for it.**

* * *

Beast Boy bit short a sob of terror, refusing to look at his arm as the needle slid beneath his skin and punctured a vein. Earlier he had been struggling hand and foot to free himself; now, he was terrified to move lest the needle break and stay stuck in his arm or something else go wrong. Tears slid down his face, and he squeezed his eyes shut, feeling more salty liquid slip through. The sharp prick of metal in his arm didn't hurt nearly as bad as one would expect, but Beast Boy's gripping fear of needles amplified the pain a thousand times in his head. A whimper rose in his throat, tight from crying. How many shots had he endured now? Five? Ten? It felt like a hundred.

Terra removed the needle from his arm none too gently, setting it on a tray nearby that Raven held, and nodded to Starfire for a new shot. "One more should do it, don't you think?" Terra asked, smiling. Beast Boy moaned quietly to himself, feeling lightheaded at the mention of another needle. His vision was already swimming, and at this point he was grateful for the chair. The shape-shifter wasn't certain he had actually retained consciousness throughout the entire ordeal; some moments he'd blacked out.

Terra retrieved the next needle, swiping Beast Boy's skin with a cotton swab. She had long since transferred from his first arm to his second, and even now she seemed to be running out of places. Anxious to distract himself from Terra's actions, Beast Boy swung his desperate gaze to that of his teammates'. As before, they still wore blank, empty looks in their eyes, and only when Terra addressed them did one of the Titans respond. How Robin and Cyborg could yet hold onto him with such strength was beyond Beast Boy, not that his exhausted frame put up much of a fight anymore. The two males moved accordingly as Terra prepared her needle, and Beast Boy turned his attention to Starfire and Raven.

Starfire somehow sported an innocent appearance despite her blank expression, her actions slow but willing like a curious child eager to assist. The alien princess acted in such a manner as Terra called for her help. The glint of light on her needle caught Beast Boy's eye, and he jerked his head to the side to avoid looking at it again.

Raven had stood perfectly still the entire time, a tray now in her hands littered with multiple used needles. That little factor made it difficult for Beast Boy to look in her direction, but knowing that the needles in her possession were not going to be pricked into him again somehow calmed his fear. Focusing on Raven instead of watching Terra and Starfire work also helped.

The empath's dull eyes rested on his arm, watching every detail with what could be interpreted as bored attentiveness. Had it been the real Raven, Beast Boy knew she would've retained an intelligent light in her eye even while her body betrayed none of the interest. Actually, if the soulless girl at his side was the real Raven, she'd have freed him by now. All the Titans would have. Beast Boy had long since convinced himself that these teenagers were not the real Titans and Terra was not the real Terra. There were too many unanswerable questions for the situation to be existent, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

A flame of agony burned up within his vein as Terra administered yet another shot to the green teenager, and Beast Boy whined in pain, grabbing the armrest with his other hand. What _was_ it that she had in those shots? If anything, those fiery _S_ 's decorating the barrel of the needles should have been a sign that the substance was probably not beneficial to his health. Terra withdrew the final needle slower than the last, drawing out the boy's agony a few seconds more before she set it on Raven's metal sheet with a clink. Beast Boy found himself gasping for breath, a thick, heavy weight settling in his body, and he hunched over as Terra rose to her feet, dusting her hands.

She lifted Raven's tray from the empath's fingers, leaving the dark girl's hands to hover in the empty air. Terra smirked at Beast Boy, and the clasps on his hands and feet unlatched. "Have fun," she smiled, disappearing into the darkness.

As soon as the blonde vanished, Beast Boy's teammates suddenly became aware of their surroundings, shoulders dropping and confused expressions gracing their faces. Several sharp gasps of air were heard when they saw the green shape-shifter slumped over in his chair, and through Beast Boy's pain-invoked haze he felt himself lowered to the ground.

"Beast Boy?" someone asked. Outside of his darkened vision, Beast Boy sensed his head being shifted up onto someone's lap. He squinted, noting Starfire leaning above him. A pair of slender hands pressed on either sides of his face, cool magic working its way through his hurting, and the boy knew Raven was nearby. Her powers didn't seem to be doing much though. For some reason, Terra's last shot had yet to release its hold on his body, and the hot pain tingled up through his shoulders, slowly making its way toward his head. Raven's quiet intake of breath told him that she'd found the many marks on his arms.

Robin's authoritative voice cut into Beast Boy's heavy mist. "Beast Boy, what happened? Beast Boy," he repeated when the green teenager didn't reply at first, a waver entering the leader's tone despite his strong command.

Beast Boy gasped at the ache in his chest, opening his eyes a little wider to meet his friends' concerned gazes. "You guys," he declared weakly, frowning, "suck. You know… I'm scared of… needles…" Beast Boy's voice trailed off, the agonizing prickle reaching his face at last. Shouts of exclamation from the Titans could be heard, but they too silenced under the growing roar in his ears. A faint tugging sensation in his gut was slowly increasing, and Beast Boy recognized the shift of his bones that came with transforming.

A rumble rose in his throat, one that he hadn't heard in a very long time. He convulsed, his back arching up as his spine elongated, arms bulking up and fangs extending at the same time. His hands scrambled for a hold, finding nothing but empty ground, and so he instead dug his claws into the floor. All of his teammates scrambled backwards save for Starfire who was trying to lower Beast Boy's head from her lap as quickly but gently as possible. His growl escalated into a roar, and the boy screamed, "Get away from me!"

Robin dove forward, latching onto Starfire's arm to drag her away. With a final howl, Beast Boy's transformation completed, and the Beast conquered his body. The monster whipped around with a snarl, razor sharp talons hooking Starfire's ankle and tearing into it. She let out a shriek, but it was cut short by another furious swipe from the Beast. Chest heaving, Beast Boy peered through the Beast's eyes down in horror at the motionless body of his teammate, her scarlet hair spilling out around her head and mixing with the blood. Beast Boy had no control. Whatever had been in those needles Terra had shot him with, it was preventing any of his usual influence.

The Titans had yet to respond, so frozen in shock as they were, but the Beast held no such feelings and he pounced on Robin, slamming the young leader down onto his back. Robin's head connected against the hard floor with a sickening crack, and the last thing he saw was the blurred form of a vicious green beast.

Robin's abrupt demise snapped Raven and Cyborg out of their stunned states, and the two hurried to prepare themselves for a fight. Upon seeing two defiant creatures before him, an avid hunger stirred deep inside of the Beast. Trapped within his own subconscious, Beast Boy opened his mouth to scream, but his body would not obey as the Beast crouched low to the ground, slinking toward the blue glow of Cyborg's arm cannon.

"Come on, BB," Cyborg begged, his face contorting. "This is the only warnin' you get. You've fought this before! Do it again before we have to fight you!" Levitating over her teammate's shoulder, Raven only watched the Beast in silence.

The Beast rumbled, stopping a few feet from the remaining Titans. Seeing his hesitance, Cyborg felt a wave of relief wash over him and lowered his weapon to some extent. It was all the Beast needed for an opening, and, faster than anyone believed was possible, he had leapt into the air and crashed down, raking his claws through the robotic Titan's arm. The mechanics separated with a _snap, _and Cyborg fell to his knees, astonishment clear in his human eye. The Beast waited not a moment, spinning to Raven and catching her side with his claws. She dropped, holding her bleeding wound, and the Beast snarled, about to finish his kill when a blue beam burned the fur on his back.

Cyborg grit his teeth together, the only arm still attached to his body sinking. The Titan gasped, "I told you you'd only get one warnin'. I'm sorry, BB." His resolve strengthened, and Cyborg dragged his arm back into position for a better shot. The Beast roared, charging at the wounded teenager, and Cyborg fired. The Beast ducked, and an explosion broke sounded behind them as powerful claws ripped Cyborg apart. Sparks flew and bright blue liquid dripped onto the ground, and inside of his powerful green body, Beast Boy sobbed. The Beast paid his human consciousness no heed, rotating toward the last Titan standing, or rather, floating.

Raven's eyes were shining with tears and magic, but they set on the Beast with such intensity that she caused the animal to pause for a second. Feeling the break of movement, Beast Boy strained to yell at her. She had to get away before the Beast killed her! His throat locked up, however, and the moment of hesitance passed as soon as it appeared. The Beast growled.

"Don't make me hurt you!" Raven commanded, her hands alight with power despite the heavy bleeding from her side. "It's me! Beast Boy!"

The Beast shook his head from side to side, a snarl stretching up the surface of his face. Even as his back hunched up in preparation to spring, Beast Boy forced a message out with every ounce of his might.

"_Go!"_

Raven jerked back, visibly affected by his voice coming from the Beast's frame, but it was too late. The Beast pounced on her, taking the girl out of the air, smashing her into the floor, and piercing his claws through her stomach. Raven's head cracked against the ground, and she inhaled sharply, leaning up a little as if to reach for the injury, but then the breath of air slipped past her lips and her eyes faded. She slumped back, dull and lifeless with violet hair sprawled out behind her.

The Beast's howl of victory and Beast Boy's cry of despair combined into one as the animal shrunk back into his original form, leaving the green human to wail at the sky, streaks of hot liquid trailing down his face. He cried until his voice was hoarse and he could no longer make a sound out of it, and still his tears did not cease. Curling over, he wrapped his arms around his stomach and rocked back and forth, his sobs now a constant whine cut off by the occasional wheezing inhalation. His insides felt raw and empty.

How could he have so simply just murdered his friends?

Forcing his head to rise from his chest, Beast Boy glanced over his shoulder at the motionless bodies of the Titans that littered the ground and stained it red. Starfire and Robin lay further away, so close that it was bittersweet how they were almost touching. Cyborg's body was trashed and in pieces, and Beast Boy couldn't even bring himself to look upon the mangled remains of metal and wires, instead turning away toward Raven again before he noticed that her body was disappearing.

Desperately he snatched up her limp hand, fear flickering through the boy when he realized that he could see his own palm through Raven's skin. Beast Boy spun back to see the other Titans' bodies already further gone than the empath's translucent state, only their outlines being visible now. Knowing he wouldn't reach them in time, Beast Boy tightened his grip on Raven, dragging her body closer to him and holding her head to his chest. The girl's arm which he wasn't holding rolled lifelessly to the side, showing no signs of relinquishing its disappearance.

"No!" he shouted, finding no one to yell at save for the dark space around him. "Stop! Please! Whoever did this to me, you made me… me k-kill them against my will, so at least let me have what's left behind of them! Don't take them away! Please! You can't do this! I-I can't-!" Beast Boy wailed, bowing over and clutching Raven's form. His voice dropped to a sobbing whisper. "-I can't be all alone…"

His protests proved pointless, and as if to demonstrate this, Raven's body faded away into the air, leaving Beast Boy grasping at nothing. He curled over, hands clenching into fists, and pressed his forehead against the floor. There was nothing left. He had no one else. His friends, they were his family, and he had killed them. The Titans had been stripped away from his life by his very hands, and now he was without anyone. Abandoned. Without someone who cared for him and someone for him to care for. The darkness pressed in against him, shutting him out of the rest of the world, isolated and utterly alone.

Beast Boy shook his head slowly, jaw clenching so hard it hurt and his teeth dug into his skin. It wasn't real; it couldn't be. He refused to believe any of what he had endured had actually happened. How could he live with himself if it had? Terra, the hospital, the needles, the Beast, the death; all of his deepest fears happening at once was too much of a nightmare to have truly transpired. Even through his grief-clouded mind, Beast Boy knew this. Somewhere in his head, a light appeared, dispersing the darkness.

* * *

"Starfire!" Robin screamed as he fell. How long he had been tumbling through the lightless sky, the leader didn't know. Not that it made a difference; it was but a matter of time before he met his death at rock bottom below. The hole in the circus had lessened into a tiny dot, shrinking more and more as Robin descended further away. He squeezed his eyes shut, hearing Starfire's screams still echo in his ears. Somehow the beautiful girl falling to her doom was even more terrifying to Robin than his own imminent death. Just thinking about it caused his chest to tighten and throat to go raw.

Something slammed into Robin from behind, and his vision blackened. Hot pain shot up his spine and the certainty that he was dead claimed him. Robin lay on the hard ground, waiting for whatever happened after death to carry him away from his agony. Yet, much to his surprise, the only thing he felt was the sharp pain pulsing through his body.

"You can't save them all, Robin," a sickeningly familiar voice murmured in his ear, and suddenly Robin was standing, a black and orange shadow hovered over his shoulder. It was like a spotlight had turned on, and it was focused on only them. The rest was murky gloom. With a snarl, Robin whipped around, swinging his arm at the masked man behind him. Slade flipped, avoiding the attack, and vanished into the dark. His voice filled the air.

"Why Robin, I've taught you better than that," he scolded. "You need to _control_ your anger to use it. Pull it out from inside of you. Take it by the hand and allow it to consume you."

"You've taught me nothing!" Robin shouted, clenching his fists.

"Certainly not enough," Slade replied, his voice abruptly originating from behind. Robin spun around, but no one was in sight. Slade continued. "If I'd taught you well, you would have located me now."

Hatred bubbled up inside of Robin. "Come out and fight me, coward!"

"Another sign of your lack of training; insults show only your weakness, not the opponent's." Slade sighed, emerging from the pitch black surroundings and shaking his head. With a cry, Robin thrust himself at him, a fist aimed directly at the man's face. Slade leaned left, a calm demeanor about him, and avoided the attack.

"This is your fault!" Robin shouted, spinning on his hands and kicking at Slade who yet again evaded the strike. "You sabotaged us! You cut the ropes, didn't you?!"

Slade's head swayed back and forth in a negative motion. He tipped backwards, Robin's shoe inches from him. "Now, are those your deductions talking, or is it you? Be reasonable, Robin."

"Reasonable?!" Robin swung his fist recklessly, and Slade veered to the side once more. "Reasonable?! You've tried to make me your apprentice! If you're the one supposed to be teaching me, then why am I right when I say you're evil?!"

Robin gasped when Slade's knee unexpectedly slammed into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. As the Titan fought for breath, Slade placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed tightly, his fingers like iron. "Robin, Robin. You've been accusing me this entire time, but really, it's you who is to blame." The ground front of Robin pulsed once, and the muddy darkness in the air lifted. A good ten feet away, standing in the center of the tent, was a doppelganger of the young leader, the ropes from the acrobat swings in his palm. In his other hand rested a miniature saw. A wicked grin unlike any other stretched up his face, and Robin's heart almost stopped when his copy cut into the ropes, not enough to be noticeable, but at the same time enough to break if too much weight was placed on them.

It was then that Robin noticed the Slade uniform, black and orange with a silver S brandished on his twin's chest. A surge of fury coursed through his veins, and he ducked under Slade's hand resting on his shoulder. Sweeping his leg in an arch, Robin felt a flicker of satisfaction as Slade crashed to the ground, but before he could make any other action, the villain grabbed Robin's ankle and also dragged him down. Slade rolled over, pushing against Robin's back and slamming him to the floor.

Something shifted, and a button materialized in Robin's hand. A low chuckle rumbled in Slade's throat. "Alright, my apprentice, do what you know you have to." Robin groaned, his thumb moving on an accord of its own toward the red button. Somehow he exactly what pushing it would cause. The Titans tower. In the basement, someone had set a bomb, and Robin held the switch for its detonation. The young leader's eyes caught a flash of silver and he glanced down, inhaling sharply. The apprentice uniform had appeared on Robin. Horror filled his stomach. It _was_ his fault. He'd killed Starfire. He'd doomed her, and he was about to doom Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy too. All because he was just like Slade, and because he was like Slade, he might as well have doomed himself.

"No!" Robin grunted, willing his hand to release the button. He squeezed his eyes shut. "No, I won't do it!"

"Oh, you will, Robin," Slade declared, an immoral smirk audible in his voice. Slowly, the boy's finger inched closer to the detonation switch. An itchiness rose in Robin's throat, but he forced it down.

Wait. Time froze, and Robin blinked. His heart hammered in his chest, the gears in the rational section of his brain still turning. How had Slade known about the circus? How had Slade convinced Robin to place a bomb in the tower? How had Robin not died when he fell into the hole? "It's not real," he gasped, and the button melted in his hand. "You're not real." The weight of Slade vanished from his back, and Robin shakily rose to his feet. He spoke aloud. "It's just like before when you there but weren't. When you tried to haunt me and drive me crazy. It's just in my head. You're not real!" He shouted at the sky, aimed toward those who might be listening. "None of this is!"

* * *

"Sister?" Starfire repeated, her throat raw. Blackfire towered above her, speaking to a group of scaly green aliens. They were in an empty white room, identical to that of Starfire's previous location save for a higher ceiling and wider walls. The screen containing the Voice's shrouded face was also lacking.

"Good thing we got here in time. It would have been a shame to allow such a fine specimen to perish," the dark-haired girl chuckled. Starfire's jaw dropped open; she knew of her sister's ruthlessness, but to sell a member of her own family to the Gordanians? The alien race that had tried to enslave her before her arrival on earth? Blackfire couldn't dislike her that much; could she?

One of the Gordanians grabbed Starfire by her handcuffs, dragging the girl on her knees for a few seconds before Starfire stumbled to her feet. The manacles structure was made of a foreign metal, and they covered her entire hand, similar to those she'd been imprisoned with upon her first arrival to Earth. In the distance, she spotted a large spaceship that hadn't been there before; the room seemed to have stretched out in order to contain it. The reptile-like alien pulled Starfire along behind roughly like she were a bag of luggage, drawing closer to the spacecraft, when Blackfire suddenly held out her hand. As if she'd waved a magic wand, the Gordanian halted. Starfire staggered to a stop, barely preventing a face-plant on the floor.

Blackfire glanced at her sister out of the corner of her eye. "Starfire, do not appear so sad. You will not fetch as high of a price that way."

Starfire felt her heart drop in her chest. "Sister… Blackfire! You are… leading them?" Blackfire smirked. "But they are a sworn enemy of our race!"

"Which is why, dear sister," Blackfire replied, twirling a finger through her hair, "I must control them. How do earthlings put it? The enemy of my enemy is my ally?" She nodded to the Gordanian, and Starfire once again found herself towed toward the spaceship. Blackfire called after her, "If it makes you feel better, I have ensured that you will be accompanied by a few companions during the trip to the space slave auctions! Enjoy their company while you still have it!"

"What do you mean?! Blackfire! Answer me!" Starfire yelled, her words strained with uncertainty. Blackfire's smile was the last thing Starfire saw before the ship's doors shut her off from her sister. The voice she heard next sent chills down her spine.

"Starfire? Not you too…"

Starfire turned around, and her heart dropped when the familiar faces of her teammates stared sadly back at her. It broke her heart further when she realized that only Beast Boy was looking at her with open eyes. The Gordanian who had brought her in the ship grabbed Starfire's arms, raising them over her head, and shoved her wrists against the wall behind her. The alien princess bit back a small cry of pain, but her tongue remained still until she'd been chained and the scaly abductor had left through a small doorway. Starfire strained against her bonds for a moment without any result.

Biting her lip, the girl looked over her friends. They –including herself- were held captive in a large circular cell-like room lacking any windows. Beast Boy's prison sat directly across from her with Robin to her right and Raven and Cyborg to her left. While Robin hung limply from a pair of advanced handcuffs like her own, Cyborg appeared to have no chains keeping him down, but he still sat slumped over in an unmoving position on the floor. Raven hovered within a horizontal glass enclosure, and Beast Boy stood upright in a perpendicular plastic container.

Starfire's eyes stung. "Beast Boy, please, tell me what has happened."

Beast Boy's ears lay pressed back against his head, and he lowered his arms, hands sliding down the clear wall. "They ambushed us in the tower. None of us knew about the break-in before they jumped us and… well, all this happened."

Hope quickly diminishing, Starfire turned to her one light that always shone through when she felt most low. "Robin?" she whispered. Her leader failed to respond, his head sunk to his chest and breathing soft.

"He's been out ever since we got here," Beast Boy explained. "Think those scaly crocodile dudes gave him a shot or something." Starfire sighed, closing her eyes fleetingly and then reopening them to rest on Cyborg. His usual blue mechanical glow was absent, and the same could be said for the shine in his electronic eye. Following Starfire's gaze, Beast Boy shrunk into himself. "Yeah, I dunno how, but they shut Cy off. He's not dead, but… he's not alive either." Sensing her next question, Beast Boy nodded at Raven. "And Rae… I think they've got some sleeping gas in that container or something. They said she's too powerful 'cause she could teleport away when awake, so she's gonna be unconscious for the trip too." Beast Boy's sights lingered on Raven a moment longer.

"And you?" Starfire asked gently.

Beast Boy offered her a fake grin. "Me? Oh, they figured out a way to keep this one-dude-zoo in a cage. Can't get out, don't know how they got me in. I think I was knocked out or something at the time. But hey," he said suddenly, peering at her cuffs. "Can't you break those? You're super strong, right? Or maybe you could shoot my cage with your laser eye powers, and then we could get the rest out of here!"

Starfire lowered her head, ashamed. "I do not have my strength or my 'laser eyes'."

"What?" Beast Boy's voice rose in a whine. "You don't have your powers?"

"I fear I do not." The hum of the spacecraft's engine vibrated beneath their feet, and the ship jolted as it started for orbit.

"Oh."

The trip lasted maybe a half hour, but time flew by with Starfire's thoughts. Beast Boy's normally busy tongue remained silent, though Starfire didn't mention it. There was nothing left to say. Soon the ship's constant movement slowed to a stop, and then the door opened. Blackfire entered, her hands behind her back in a business-like manner, and a crowd of mixed aliens followed.

"In here you can see five of Earth's strangest specimen." Blackfire gestured to the Titans, a confident smirk plastered on her face. "Call them anything you please, but I will provide given names for those of you who are curious. The heap of metal is a half-human called Cyborg; hardly worth the time of day unless you are interested in mechanics if you ask me, but next to him in the glass container is the dark female Raven. She is half human, _and_ half demon." Apparently this was a rare and desired combination, for several chuckles and purrs could be heard following Blackfire's statement. Blackfire moved onto Beast Boy who was growling after the previous introduction. "This little kitty goes by Beast Boy, but he has more bark than bite if you ask me." Beast Boy slammed against his container, teeth bared, but Blackfire ignored him. Next in line came Robin, and the dark alien girl cupped his chin in her hand, lifting the boy's motionless face for all to see. "Then this adorable thing is Robin. He is –or was- one of the best martial artists on the planet and used to lead this dysfunctional group despite possessing no powers."

Starfire had been holding in her anger ever since Blackfire entered, but when her sister touched Robin's face, she could contain it no longer. "Take your hands off him, Blackfire! You are a zolwarg plixing tubeck zarbmarker-."

"Oh yes, and that foul girl is my sister, Starfire. But sorry," she added upon hearing the interested murmurs flow throughout the group, "she's already reserved by me." Disappointment rippled over the buyers, but Blackfire lifted their spirits with her next announcement. "So, let us start with the auctioning, shall we? Who feels like owning a half robot?"

It all happened so fast. Cyborg disappeared in an instant, sold in the blink of an eye. Raven vanished next, and then Beast Boy, his eyes wide and terrified. Lastly Robin was bought, his unconscious body dragged out of the room by some nameless alien. Starfire thrashed and screamed, but to no avail.

Soon only she and Blackfire remained in the room. All her anger drained, Starfire looked up to her sister with a saddened, hopeless expression. "Blackfire, why? I am your family! Your sister!"

"A sister who always had _everything_!" Blackfire snapped. A whip appeared in her hand, and she struck Starfire across the face. "I am oldest! I should have been next in line for the throne. But you took it away from me, Starfire! It was rightfully mine! You know this and expect me to love you still?!"

Starfire fought back tears; her cheek stung painfully. "Blackfire, I did not mean to harm you. I cannot believe you would do this to me. To my friends!"

Blackfire snarled, her fist tightening on the whip. "You really think I would not have the heart to do something like this, sister dear? Do you really have faith in me after what I have done to you and your friends?"

"Perhaps you would…," Starfire admitted slowly, her head hanging. "I do not know you as well as I believed." A thought struck her. "However, I do know that my friends would not be overcome by you as quickly as they had. They are stronger than that and they are stronger than you, and I draw my strength from my friends." Blackfire stepped back as Starfire's voice grew in power, and she straightened determinedly. "You are a lie, Blackfire!"

* * *

"You?!" Cyborg gasped, struggling to free his hands. Emerging from the shadows in a glowing red light, Brother Blood appeared, his clasped hands held behind his back.

"Stone," he greeted, dipping his head. Like Cyborg had been, Brother Blood's body was made of human, electronic, and robotic parts. However, the man had inflicted the transformation on himself to grow stronger; it had been his choice, unlike Cyborg's. And just as he had no voice in his first alteration into a half robot, Cyborg now possessed no protest against the fully robotic body he now wore.

"Thank you, Fixit," Brother Blood smiled. "I can take it from here." His human eye flashed red once, and Fixit nodded, vanishing into the dark.

"You hypnotized him!" Cyborg realized, still fighting to free his unresponsive metallic body. "Why did you make him do this to me?! What are you tryin' to gain?!"

Brother Blood snapped his fingers and began walking around Cyborg who strained to see him. "Your human spirit overpowered my strength once, Cyborg, but now you are without any human left. With only mechanical parts, you are just a robot." The villain tapped his chin, metal against metal. "I wonder how well you can stand up to my influence now?"

Brother Blood leaned into Cyborg's face, eyes bright and glowing with influence. Cyborg forced his eyes shut, hiding away from the hypnotic gaze and searching his wired brain for an answer. Considering that almost all attempts for movement had been useless, the only thing the Titan could think to do was avoid Brother Blood's spellbinding power until someone arrived with help. Maybe Fixit had remembered what happened and was contacting the Titans right now? If Brother Blood had escaped from the jail, no doubt the team's alert had sounded and they were on their way.

Cyborg blinked, realizing the flaw in his story, and then turned his glare to Brother Blood. "How could you have gotten outta jail?!"

Brother Blood's image flickered momentarily, but then the villain's eyes flamed red again and Cyborg felt control slipping away. Brother Blood chuckled, stepping back from Cyborg's slate and beckoning to him with a finger. Horror overcame Cyborg's rationalizing mind when his body obeyed, gears turning and twisting to make him stand.

"Let's watch as you lose whatever is left of your humanity," Brother Blood smirked. Waving his hand through the air, Cyborg watched as the world spun around him, too fast for even his robotic eye to follow. The blurred darkness soon cleared, swirling reds and yellows and grays slowing to form actual shapes in the Titan's main room. The four other Titans sat on the couch, playing video games, watching television, or reading a book. Out of the corner of Cyborg's eye, Brother Blood stood by his shoulder. Cyborg strained to warn his friends, but his metal vocal cords felt rusted.

Robin noticed Cyborg, and, smiling, waved him over. "Hey Cyborg, you're just in time to watch Beast Boy lose. Want to play me next round?"

Beast Boy, a game controller in hand, scrunched his nose. "Hey dude, I so was _not_ gonna lose!"

Cyborg mentally gawked at them. Did they not see his changed body? Was Brother Blood invisible to their eyes? He opened his mouth to warn them about the villain controlling him, but what came out instead was, "Humans detected. Objects updated. Targets to be terminated." And a fire of blue lit up the couch. Cyborg's arm cannon lowered from his side, the teenager horrified at his actions but then relieved when he saw no one had been harmed by the involuntary attack. His teammates suddenly became aware of his altered appearance.

"Cyborg?" Someone said his name though he wasn't certain who; Brother Blood nodded toward the Titans.

"Kill them," he instructed, and Cyborg's body complied.

He leapt forward faster than he thought able with such a heavy body, crashing down on the center of the burnt couch and hearing a crack as the base snapped. The Titans scrambled away, regrouping a few feet from Cyborg. Robin shouted at him, all humorous attitude gone. "Cyborg, what are you doing?! What happened to you?!"

"Robin," Cyborg said, immediately followed by, "Titan leader. Powerless. Human." His sonic cannon shot off, exploding into dust and fire where the Titans had stood moments before.

Robin whipped out his staff. "Titans, detain him!" The command rang in Cyborg's electronic ear, familiarity in the command. The urge to follow Robin's orders stirred within him, and Cyborg jolted. The hesitation provided the momentary elapse of movement needed for the teenage heroes to knock him to the floor. Beast Boy's gorilla form weighed Cyborg's metal body down, preventing it from rising, and the rest of the Titans gathered around. Each wore hurt expressions.

"Cyborg, we will fix this," Robin promised, folding his staff back into his belt. "Just wait until we find out who's done this to you." Behind the young leader, Brother Blood suddenly appeared in a flash of red. He met eyes with Cyborg, casting a wicked grin, and stabbed something into Robin's back.

Robin let out a shocked choking cough, falling into a bleeding heap on the carpet. Starfire released an anguished shout, dashing to his side with Raven close behind her. Beast Boy turned away as well, and the moment his eyes left Cyborg, heat formed in the robotic teenager's arm. A jolt of electricity escaped from a slot in his arm, shooting up Beast Boy's body and whipping his head back. He cried out in agony before collapsing unconscious, jagged lightning sparks dancing along his uniform.

Raven realized the urgency for a retreat before Starfire did, and, calling to her alien friend to get Robin, she threw her cape over Beast Boy. A black raven enveloped them, taking to the air and flying toward the window with Starfire –carrying Robin- right behind them. Cyborg knew that there was no escape even before the missiles fired from his shoulder compartments.

An explosion followed, shaking the tower's base and echoing down the halls. Four unmoving bodies dropped to the ground, burns and blood scarring their skin. Cyborg felt choked. His brothers, his sisters, his best friends, his _family_ were hurt, dying, or dead. All because his humanity had been ripped away from him by-.

Brother Blood walked over to the Titans, rolling one over with his foot. "Messier than I hoped, but it got the job done. Dispose of them entirely."

Cyborg knew if he still had human eyes they would've been clouded by tears. He didn't want to rid of his friends. He didn't want to hurt them. He cared too much! Cyborg's legs, which had been pulling him closer to the Titans, suddenly stopped.

"What? What is it?" Brother Blood snapped, angling his head toward Cyborg. "Dispose of them!"

"No." Cyborg's voice, though metallic and not his, still spoke what he wished it to. "I cannot and I will not."

"What?!" Brother Blood hissed.

Cyborg continued, his words growing stronger. "If I can still think and feel, then I'm still partially human with my human spirit, and you shouldn't be able to control me! Which is why," he turned on Brother Blood, the villain's human eye widening, "I can overcome you!"

* * *

Raven floated above the room, her cloak blood red and four eyes glowing angrily. Loose objects flew about the air, shattering or crashing against walls or her bed. Tendrils of power shot out randomly, catching items and breaking them apart, flashes of red lighting the air. The horrified expressions on her friend's faces reflected her inner terror, but Raven was powerless to control Rage.

Inside of her mind, the girl tried to appeal to her hateful side. She'd always had a handle on her emotions, so why didn't she now? What had changed? "Rage, don't fight the Titans," she urged, emotion seeping into her words. Raven fought to keep it down as another object in her room cracked. "You aren't angry at them; it's Malchior we want."

To her surprise, Rage listened. Her scarlet cloak settled down around her legs, hiding her body from view, and floating items slowly sank to the ground. Raven waited for her angry emotion to relinquish control, but much to her surprise, Rage retained influence on her original's body. However, she had no intention of attacking the Titans.

Rage cocked an eyebrow, grinning at the scared and confused expressions on the teenagers in Raven's doorway. "What's wrong?"

Stunned silence greeted her, and the Titans shuffled tentatively, emotions seeping off of them. After several seconds, Beast Boy spoke up. "Are you… _Raven_ Raven now?"

"Yes," her duplicate lied. "But I'm always Raven; you are seeing my true form now. The emotionless mask I wear is just that: a mask."

Waves of hesitant disbelief washed over Raven from her friends, and the empath hissed at Rage, _"What are you doing?" _but no one save the emotion heard her and Rage gave no reaction.

"So what's the matter?" Rage asked, tilting her head at the Titans. "Don't you want to still be my friend? After all this time together, I thought we had something." Hot red eyes glowed on her forehead, and a wicked grin stretched over her face. Long glowing tentacles stretched out from under her cloak, inching toward the frozen teenagers. "If you are truly my friends, then you won't run away from me, no matter my appearance or actions. You won't move."

Rage smiled, her teeth like daggers, and watched the Titans. Fear flickered throughout the group, and their eyes glued on the tendrils that slid across the floor. Trapped within her own rage, Raven silently begged them not to leave. This wasn't her! It wasn't her fault! They had to help her!

The sound of footsteps reached Raven's ears, and she looked up to see that Cyborg had vanished. A moment later, Starfire, casting a tearful glance at Raven, flew down the hall after him in a blur of scarlet hair. Heart pounding in her ears, Raven focused on the remaining two boys who lingered her doorway. Robin's arms were ridged at his sides, his hands clenched into fists and mask narrow whereas Beast Boy stood still, his shoulders dropped and ears pressed against the back of his head.

"You two are determined, aren't you?" Rage observed in a demonic voice. "Now it comes down to the line between bravery and stupidity; where does one end and the other begin?" She lifted an arm, a radiant ball of red light shining in her palm. "If you want, the last one standing can join me in the underworld beside my father. He'll have a _very_ special seat for you." Gritting his teeth, Robin whirled around and ran. Raven's heart sank as he disappeared. Only Beast Boy was left. The shape-shifter lifted his sights to Rage, eyes wide and pleading. "And stupidity remains," Rage smirked. The magic in her hand vanished and she lowered her hood, exposing her four eyes to him. "Come on, Beast Boy. You're my friend, aren't you? We've been friends for so long, you aren't about to give up on me now."

"Please Raven," Beast Boy whispered, taking a step back from her tentacles. "You can fight this. You can't be evil." His voice shook uncertainly as if trying to convince himself.

Somehow sensing that her little display of power had no effect on him, Rage's tentacles withdrew beneath her cloak and her four scarlet eyes diminished into two indigo. Beast Boy's expression was of surprise as Rage approached him, pressing a finger to his chest. "Oh, I have been fighting," she stated, snarling. "For so long I've struggled to free myself from the impassive cage Raven put me under, and finally I've broken free. But I have no room for sentiment. The Raven you know and love is dead. I'm all that's left. Unless you could still find it in this big heart of yours to care for me too." She closed her hand into a fist, shoving it against Beast Boy's ribs, and then grinned. "We could have so much fun together. With your powers and mine combined, we'd make a _killing_."

Beast Boy scrambled away, his breath rapid and weak, and disappeared into the hallway. Rage chuckled, waving her hand and slamming the door shut behind him. "That was fun, Raven, wouldn't you say?"

Inside of Rage, Raven shook with despair. They had all left her. Abandoned her. Not the Titans! They'd never given up on her before, not when she'd turned her angry side on them, and not even when Trigon had all but destroyed the world, so why now? Even Beast Boy, persistent and stubborn Beast Boy, had left her. She didn't want to hurt them, but she also didn't want the Titans to leave. But they had.

Rage nodded at the exit. "Well, let's go see if we can't find them." The emotion had taken but a step toward the door when she froze. Blinking several times, she coughed. "Oh. Sounds like Dad is calling." And the emotion's control vanished. Raven's body collapsed to the ground, suddenly weak at Rage's absence but finally back in charge. Rising shakily to her feet, Raven rubbed her shoulder where she'd hit the ground. She felt hollow, like someone had dug inside of her and then ripped something out, like she was missing a limb. Stumbling in the direction of the hallway, the girl leaned on the button that would open her door, and with a swish, the wall slid to the side. A wave of heated air and light blasted into the room, blinding Raven momentarily. She squinted through the hot wind, and, grasping the edges of her doorway, looked out.

The hallway was gone, in its place a pool of lava far beneath her feet. Craggy rocks surrounded the small platform that contained Raven's bedroom, and the sky burned blood red. At the edge of the pool was a waterfall of molten rock, spitting sparks and glowing as it fell into a dark, never-ending pit below. A roar shook the earth, and Raven struggled to keep her footing.

The girl turned in time to see four bodies materialize in the air, riddled and scarred with flaming marks very much like her own birthmarks. Four shining red eyes glowed on their foreheads, and matching evil grins graced each face. Raven's breath froze in her throat. The Titans.

An exact duplicate of Raven's evil side floated up in front of them, running a tongue over her teeth. "Alright Titans, now that you've undergone Trigon's transformation, let's reintroduce yourselves to Raven." Glancing over her shoulder at the empath crouched on the edge of her bedroom, Rage lifted an eyebrow. "Perfect timing." Sending a nod to the levitating Titans, she teleported away as a blast of blue, green, and red shot through the space she'd just been. Raven's eyes widened a margin before she threw up a shield to block the Titans' attack.

The wind whipped past her, sending her cape up in a wild dance. Fire and beams sliced the air inches from Raven's face as she fought to keep her shield up. It would seem that Trigon had granted them some power of his own.

Through the flame and heat, Raven managed to make out the deep rumble of her friends' voices combined. "Raven, don't you recognize your friends? Join us, like we joined your father."

"No!" Raven shouted, her voice a demonic growl of rage, and a burst of power extended from her shield to break through the Titans' combined powers. To her shock, her return attack cut apart their fiery beams and struck the four in an explosion of black lightning. Screams ripped from their throats, scars glowing dimly, and whatever spell had kept the teenagers flying failed. Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy dropped out of the air, falling toward the pool of lava below. With a sharp gasp, Raven reached out with her powers to grab them. Her extended magic claw moved too slowly, and the empath snapped her eyes shut as the team hit the magma. Her lack of sight, however, did nothing to shield her ears to the agonizing screams from below.

Raven dropped to her knees, wrapping her hands over her head. No, no, no. She wouldn't lose control, wouldn't let go, she wouldn't show emotion. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos, Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos, Azara-Azara-Azar-," Raven choked on her words, her cheeks wet. What was the point? Everyone close to her had died, and it was her fault. There was no hope.

Shaking her head back and forth, Raven squeezed her eyes shut, desperately trying to convince herself that this wasn't real. The Titans wouldn't leave her. The Titans wouldn't hurt her. She would never hurt them. Never.

Would she?

The world around her pulsed.

"Raven!" A familiar voice echoed throughout her head, and Raven's skull pounded. Hesitantly she lifted her head, becoming aware of a slight pressure gripping her shoulders. "_Raven_!" The Titan felt something strain and pull her out.

* * *

**I did say this story would be darker than my others, didn't I? Hope it wasn't _too_ dark and everyone stayed in character.**

**Brief reasoning for BB's fear of needles and Starfire's claustrophobia since the other fears can be explained by the show: ****Beast Boy's fears have to do with his past, and I plan to bring it up later in the story, so hang tight if you don't know yet. Starfire's claustrophobia originated from the idea that she loves to fly and be free, so when her freedom is taken away, it's terrifying.**

**Alright everyone, I am prepared to accept suggestions for the next rooms and challenges the Titans will have to go through. I do have several planned, but they are for later on in the story, and after this chapter, I feel like doing something more lighthearted, so feel free to leave suggestions in the reviews!**


	5. The Room of Recovery and Recuperation

Beast Boy cringed as light seeped in from outside of his eyelids. He didn't want to open his eyes; who knew what hallucinations awaited him this time? More death? More torture? He wasn't sure he'd be able to take it. Still, he knew it wasn't possible to remain motionless on the ground for the rest of his life, so Beast Boy slowly opened his eyes.

He was lying on his back, a few light bulbs stuck in the ceiling and illuminating the area in a dull white glow. The walls surrounding him were square and white; it was the same room that he and the Titans had entered before falling into a nightmare. Beast Boy sat up, rubbing his face with his palm and finding that it was wet from tears. Swallowing the lump in his throat, the green teenager scanned the room. There were no computers and desks anymore, and the walls separating the Titans had fallen into the ground again. A small door materialized a few feet away, its outline visible in the wall. Lying in a row beside him were the unmoving bodies of the rest of the Titans.

Beast Boy found his breath increasing as he rose unsteadily to his feet. Quiet groans and whimpers from the others reached his sensitive ears, tearing at him from the inside. How come he was the first one awake? What was he supposed to do? Biting his lip, Beast Boy stumbled over to the closest Titan and knelt down. It was Raven, the empath's face pale and sweating.

Deciding on the one solution he could think of, Beast Boy carefully grasped her shoulders. Raven had always been set on a high level of intelligence in Beast Boy's mind; maybe if he could wake her up, she would be able to help him figure out what to do. He didn't want his nightmare to become real; he was _not_ about to be left alone with their bodies all around him. Not again.

"Raven," he called quietly. The empath didn't respond, her face twitching at the nightmare she was in. "Raven!" Beast Boy shook Raven's shoulders, his face contorted. He had to wake her up. There was not a single sign of injury on the empath, so why wasn't she waking up yet?! She had been the last to disappear, so maybe he could still bring her back! Beast Boy stopped, shaking his head. No. It hadn't been real. The whole thing was a hallucination and he'd woken up. She'd never died. "_Raven_!" he shouted. Raven gave a loud, distressed moan and then her eyes shot open. Wild terror filled her indigo orbs, and they darted back and forth, taking in all her surroundings and then lastly Beast Boy's exhausted face above her.

Her emotionless mask was gone; Raven's expression read of wide stunned horror. Her hands trembled, clutched so tightly around the edges of her cloak that the cloth threatened to rip, and she shoved Beast Boy off of her, scrambling away. She focused slowly on Beast Boy, as if she were afraid to look at him. Her green teammate, on the other hand, had never been so glad to see someone living and breathing in his life. The cold empty hole of abandonment in his chest filled at the sight of another alive, and his shoulders sagged. He stumbled toward Raven, legs weak with relief, but she jerked away, her shoulders shuddering. Her head shook back and forth a little, lips mouthing something Beast Boy couldn't make out. On her hands and knees, she staggered another few inches in retreat.

"Rae, no," Beast Boy gasped, fear stirring inside of him. "It's over! Come on, don't-!"

The empath didn't say anything, still stumbling away.

Suddenly afraid that he was in yet another hallucination, Beast Boy lurched forward over the ground, grabbing Raven's arm which was held out to him in a motion to keep him back. He ignored it, his hand grasping her wrist, and the solid touch caused a jolt to travel up both of the teenagers. Raven gasped, all movement frozen, but Beast Boy's fear melted off of him with a relieved sigh. The boy gave her a small, exhausted smile and then threw his arms around her as tightly as he could.

Raven was still recovering from her hallucination, and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for something to destroy the scene. Beast Boy would turn into Malchior and break her apart again, or maybe she herself would transform into Trigon and kill her teammate. Maybe he was going to kill her? The loud pounding of her heart pulsed through both of them, real and alive, but none of the expected nightmares occurred. Slowly but surely, Raven began to recognize that the illusion had ended, and she carefully relaxed her shoulders, still a little afraid. Beast Boy just strengthened his hold on her. His actions gave her the encouragement she needed, and at last the empath cautiously returned the hug. No illusion ensued, and that only made Raven more reassured. He was her comfort: always there for her, never quitting, and Raven cared for him more than she wanted to admit. How could she have believed that he would ever give up on her? The green teenager had refused to in the past, no matter how many times she had driven him away.

Somehow seeing Raven so terrified that it compelled her to openly return his comfort was more chilling than all of what Beast Boy had just gone through. This was a fear he'd never realized before; he didn't want Raven to be scared. She was so strong. Even now while recovering from her fearful state, she helped him suppress his distress; any trace of abandonment was washed away in Raven's scent. It reminded him how she was alive. He hadn't killed her or any of his teammates. He absorbed everything about her, her touch, her scent, her rapid breathing. She just made it all more real and brought him back down to earth. Kneeling on the ground with him, Beast Boy realized that her body in his arms felt nothing like when he held her dead form in his nightmare. It had all been an illusion.

Raven needed something, some_one,_ there to block out all her fears, and the only one who held the capability to do such a thing right then was Beast Boy. Even without her empathetic abilities to tell her what his emotions were, she had caught the expression of utter despair and isolation on his face when she awoke, and inside she knew that her friend was just as scared as she was. Raven wasn't about to deny it; she was afraid, and nothing would change that. But maybe she could overcome it, just as she had a long time ago in the tower when her powers brought nightmares to life. The thought of her powers threatened a groan to build in her throat, and Raven strengthened her grip on Beast Boy's shirt. She would apologize later for ruining his uniform.

She didn't remain too long, however, for Raven was still not one to care much for physical contact despite her doing so right then. But now her control had returned, and Raven removed herself from Beast Boy. They stood together without a word.

Sniffing, Beast Boy rubbed his nose and bit his lip, canine tooth gently prodding the skin. "Um, sorry… about the hug. It's just…" He focused on the floor, one hand at the side of his neck. "You… you and everyone else… they were… I-I'd…"

Raven stared at him in surprise. Had their fears really been that similar?

Beast Boy dropped his hand, looking at it for a moment before shrugging his shoulders up and grabbing his arm. "I'd never be able to forgive myself if I'd really...," he whispered. A glint appeared in his eye and shone down his cheek. He ignored it, instead squeezing his eyes shut and then open again to prevent any more from falling. "Oh dude, sorry," he apologized needlessly again, shaking his head. "It just felt so real."

"It did," Raven murmured, unable to figure out how to approach the side of Beast Boy she was seeing. She _never_ saw him cry; Beast Boy made sure that no one ever did. "I thought that I'd… hurt everyone too," she said quietly, taking a step toward him. If Beast Boy was willing to open up, then it couldn't hurt for her to try to as well. She tilted her head, taking a soft breath. "But you know that you'd never do that. You can control yourself."

Beast Boy's surprise at Raven trying to ease his fears was submerged beneath his anxiety. "I thought so, but-."  
"You won't, and I wouldn't let you," Raven claimed. Beast Boy looked at her, openly stunned now. "And you wouldn't let me." She lifted an eyebrow, and Beast Boy offered a weak smile.

"Yeah."

Raven kept her expression blank, though within she warmed. "Thanks for waking me up," she said, lowering her head. Beast Boy's smile extended over his face, and again he threw another embrace on her. Raven, while not hugging back this time, hid a small smile. He was so emotional, even without her powers to tell her so, and that made her all the more sympathetic for him. She was very much his opposite, but somehow that drew them closer together.

She lifted her hood, shifting back. "I seem to have torn your shirt last time during the surprise hug."

Beast Boy glanced at his shoulders, noticing the tiny rips in the cloth, and he smirked. A light laugh rose in his throat, and the sound lifted the heavy darkness surrounding them. Raven felt it and, while not smiling, was not frowning either. Beast Boy chuckled, brushing off his shirt. "I don't really think that's a problem, Rae."

"Starfire!" Robin shot up, his mask wide and muscles tense. Beast Boy jumped back with a scarlet face and matching Raven's; they hadn't realized how close they were. The young leader on the floor whipped his head around, seeing Raven and Beast Boy standing near Cyborg and Starfire still unconscious a few feet away, and he immediately calmed.

"Hey Rob," Beast Boy greeted, rubbing the back of his neck. "How you feeling?"

Robin glared at him. "Like someone pounded my head and heart multiple times with a hammer." He scanned the room again, gaze landing on Starfire. "Everyone alright?"

"Uh, mostly," Beast Boy replied unhelpfully.

"We're all in one piece here," Raven stated, kneeling beside her leader and offering a hand. Robin took it, still breathing heavily because of the hallucination, and allowed Raven to pull him to his feet. "Are _you_ alright?" the empath asked.

"Tired," the young leader admitted, brushing his legs off, "but I'll be fine."

Beast Boy leaned over to him, confusion on his face. "You sure, dude? 'Cause if you went through what Rae and I did, I don't know how you aren't freaked out like even a little."

Massaging his arm, Robin addressed his teammate. "I've dealt with something similar to this before I joined the Titans. I should've been able to wake up faster, but it's been so long since I've encountered the villain that I'm a bit out of practice."

"Is there a possibility that this villain could be the same as the Voice?" Raven suggested, her arms disappearing behind the folds of her cloak.

Shaking his head, Robin frowned, "Probably not, but I do have a few more ideas now-." He was interrupted by a soft cry from Starfire, and the teenagers looked over in time to see the girl stirring. Before Raven or Beast Boy could blink, Robin had dropped by her side and was easing her carefully back into consciousness. The empath and shape-shifter exchanged knowing glances, and were about to help when they heard Cyborg groaning. The two headed over to help their robotic friend instead, leaving Robin to handle Starfire.

Starfire's reaction to waking was much closer to Raven's frightened than Robin's calm; her eyes darted open and she sat straight up, unfortunately connecting skulls with Robin who had leaned over to see how she fared. Thankfully neither suffered real damage, and the momentary pain dulled Starfire's waking anxiety that came with her dark dream. As the two rubbed their foreheads, she opened her eyes, realizing how close Robin was to her. Her nightmare came rushing back and she suddenly tackled the unsuspecting boy in a terrified hug.

"Robin, forgive me! I could do nothing!" she cried, burying her face in Robin's chest. "I was not 'witted quick' enough to escape the closing walls, and I was powerless to prevent Blackfire from separating our friends and you! I am so the sorry!"

Robin, too concerned about Starfire's condition to deal with the heat rising in his face, touched her chin, and the girl lifted her tear-streaked face to look at him. "Star, it's okay. None of us could control what happened; it was fake. A hallucination."

"But it felt so real." Starfire drew a hand to her chest, and Robin lowered his to her shoulders.

"I know," Robin soothed, offering her a small smile. "But it's not. And you won't have to go through it ever again." Starfire stifled a sob and pressed her forehead to Robin's torso again. Robin colored even more, though didn't move away in the slightest, and instead wrapped his arms around the beautiful girl.

Raven and Beast Boy had retrieved Cyborg, and after they assured him that he was entirely and completely still half robot, the trio moved back to Starfire and Robin. The three stood there for a few seconds before Beast Boy cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hey Star, you okay?"

Sniffling, Starfire raised her head and blushed upon realizing the audience she and Robin had attracted. She and Robin drew apart, the boy holding out a hand and helping her to her feet. Starfire smiled a little. "Yes, friend Beast Boy, I-I believe I am feeling the better now."

Robin looked to Cyborg in a silent inquisition, and the robotic teenager nodded; he too was alright. Now knowing for certain that his whole team's physical and psychological states were at stable levels, Robin addressed everyone. "So considering that we are all healthy and unharmed, and since there are no marks from a fight or anything I encountered while in my nightmare, I think it's safe to say everything was an illusion." The Titans shifted, looking for scratches, bruises, or worse. Beast Boy hadn't even checked yet, but now he felt certain he would find nothing. Sure enough, after searching for any tell-tale marks of blood from the would-be needle shots, he was relieved to find that he was correct. The rest of the team were experiencing similar thoughts.

"Before we go," Robin continued, crossing his arms. "Raven, addressing the subject you asked me about earlier, I do have a few more ideas on who the Voice might be. The Master of Games is still a possibility, but now so is Phobia."

"Uh, who dude?" Beast Boy asked, scratching his head.

"We fought her a while ago," Raven informed. "She broke into the tower and used her powers to manipulate us into seeing nightmares, though they were nowhere near as bad as these ones."

Robin nodded his thanks. "That's another reason I'm not sure it's actually her. It could be too obvious. Another suspect is... Slade." He caught the grim expressions from his teammates and quickly defended his reasoning. "This isn't just an 'obsessive' assumption. I have a reason."

"Which is?" Cyborg questioned skeptically.

"You all remember when I thought Slade had set bombs throughout the city and I was the only one who could see them?" His team shuffled, recalling the uncomfortable incident. None of them had enjoyed watching Robin lose control of his mind, even if he did recover in the end. Robin's mouth remained a determined line. "Later we found out that chemicals mixed into the dust around the mask had triggered the illusions. If Slade had the power to cause hallucinations like that, who says he doesn't have resources to make what we just went through happen?"

The Titans considered his reasoning, and eventually Cyborg spoke aloud for them. "Alright, I suppose that makes sense."

"Don't worry," Robin promised. "It's only a hypothesis and I very well could be way off. I hope I am." The teenagers nodded, similar thoughts running through their heads. Looking at the wall where a small exit door could be seen, Robin glanced back at his team. "Alright, I suppose we'd better be going soon, unless anyone wants to say something else…?" No one spoke up, and so the young leader turned around toward the exit.

"Wait." Even without her powers, Raven had found that she was very good at reading people, and she'd realized something after watching the team rejoin. Everyone's personal bubbles seemed to have shrunk, and they all, including her, would shift once in a while to bump their elbow against someone or brush shoulders as if to assure themselves of the other's presence. The Titans paused and diverted their attention back toward her. "This room made us experience our deepest fears, didn't it?" she questioned. Robin nodded, wondering where Raven was going with this. "…We were all afraid of losing each other… Weren't we?"

Beast Boy dropped his shoulders, knowing that Raven was already aware of his answer from their talk earlier. They'd also heard Starfire crying to Robin about how Blackfire separated everyone from each other. Comparing their nightmares with Raven's own, the empath drew a conclusion; their fears, however different the details might have been, all had a similar underlying basis. Raven's hypothesis was confirmed when Cyborg and Robin each gave hesitant nods. They too were afraid of losing one the others.

"Yo, it's almost like we're a family or something!" Cyborg exclaimed, just a hint of sarcasm in his voice but a big smirk on his face.

Starfire clasped her hands together. "Friends, I feel much closer to you all! Perhaps the Voice has brought us together in his attempt to do the breaking down of us?"

"I doubt he meant to," Raven started to say.

Robin finished her sentence, smiling at Starfire. "But he ended up doing it by accident anyway."

Beast Boy released a loud sigh. "Aww, okay, group hug, guys. Right now. I'm enforcing it." Grinning, he threw one arm over Raven's shoulders, earning a glare from the empath, but when Cyborg's arm occupied her other side, she realized she was trapped and there was no point in trying to escape. The empath groaned pointedly as Robin and Starfire joined the group hug, but really, on the inside she wasn't complaining.

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**So a bit of a shorter chapter, but the Titans needed to recover from all that seriousness. And I have to decide on what room will be next! You all have such great ideas, I'm not sure which one I'm going to decide on for the next chapter quite yet! I guarantee that I will update though.**

**Even if you've seen the show, you might not know who Phobia is. The reason for this is because she is in the comics based off of the T.V. series. In short, she did what Raven explained; she sent the Titans into nightmares. Phobia had called the Brotherhood of Evil to turn the Titans over, but Silkie jumped up and hit an alarm, waking the Titans long enough to defeat Phobia.**


	6. The Past Room

**I missed an update, guys! I'm sorry! But here's a super long chapter for you! My brain hurts; I basically wrote all of this today _and_ proofread it. Thanks to ****Wonderlander for giving me influence for this chapter with his/her suggestion and the many others who suggested a past room.**

* * *

"It's been so long, Titans!"

The Titans each expressed their irritation at the Voice with mutual glares aimed toward the big screen television hanging above their heads. The Voice simply ignored their frustrated scowls and chuckled.

"How is everyone holding up? Good? Bad?" the villain questioned, the smirk audible in his voice. "Oh wait, I already know. Thanks to technology, I could see exactly what your reactions to my hallucinations were. I only wish I could've seen what went on in your heads," he exhaled forlornly. "But no matter! Onto the next game!"

"Why do you call them games?" Raven grunted, crossing her arms.

"Because saying torturous interrogations takes so much longer," the Voice sighed, somehow sounding upset about the matter as if it affected him. The darkened figure moved, rubbing his hands together in a distorted blur on the television. "Now, if you don't mind, how about you all hop on up to the top of those stairs so we can have some fun?"

The room –white as always- had a large set of bleachers stacked and leading up to a blank wall. The flight of four steps was separated into sections by multiple metallic handrails, creating a space for five Titans at the top. On the wall opposite of the stairs below the Voice's television was another, larger flat screen, but no picture had appeared on it as of yet.

As the Titans approached the bleachers, Robin spoke to his team quietly. "The sooner we get these 'games' over with, the sooner we will get out of here. Let's do this as fast as possible." The young heroes heard and acknowledged his order all too willingly. After the last room, everyone was more than ready to leave, and if that meant playing along with the Voice for now, so be it. Besides, their other option would be to sit in the white room without any escape for very possibly the rest of their lives.

Once the five teenagers stood in a row at the top of the stairs, their backs to the wall and being either antsy or impatiently awaiting directions, the Voice relayed his instructions. "Now if you look to your lefts and rights, there are handrails set on both sides. Kindly grab the rails."

"Y'know, it's bad enough he's makin' us go through this," Cyborg grunted, grabbing the slanted metal rods. "I wish he wouldn't pretend to be all nice about it." Next to him, Beast Boy nodded in agreement, wrapping his fingers tightly around the rail.

"Now don't freak out at this next part," the Voice laughed, and a ring of electric-like jolts sprung from the pole to circle around the Titans' wrists. The teenagers stiffened instantly, unsure if it was safe to move lest they should touch the bright rings. "Don't worry, don't worry," the Voice assured, waving his hands around on the screen. "You won't be hurt unless you don't obey me. First of all, in this room, we shall be exploring your pasts."

Had a pin dropped in the room, it would've been deafening. The shock was visible on the Titans' faces; ever since the team had been formed, they'd all established a silent agreement with one another to not speak of their pasts unless they wanted it to be brought up or the topic was unavoidable. As it was, no one knew much about each other's histories except that Raven was Trigon's daughter, Beast Boy used to run with the Doom Patrol, Starfire was a princess, Cyborg had an accident of some unknown details, and what Robin's secret identity was. Everything else remained a mystery.

The Voice's dramatic pause concluded and the villain continued. "The blank screen below mine is connected to the handrails, which –once again thanks to the wonderful world of advanced technology- is able to conjure your most painful memories. Of course, this is only possible if the technology knows what to search for, and since I don't have any information on your pasts, there really is no point in going through with this exercise. But what's this?" Something waved back and forth on the screen. "A pile of papers? Printed from the Titan mainframe? And it includes many details about their past and how they acquired their powers? How did I get _that?_" He moved again, shrugging. "I guess we can play the game after all."

A gasp escape Starfire, and the others glanced at her. She stared at Robin. "But Robin, does that not mean your identity-?"

Robin shook his head. "It's okay, I never put anything about my identity in the mainframe. The most he'll know is about the time I became Robin."

"But that doesn't mean when you start thinking about it that it won't show on the screen," the Voice interrupted. "The technology follows your thoughts, especially if it's a subject I want to explore. I wouldn't say you're safe quite yet." Robin pressed his lips together, boring his eyes behind the mask into the Voice's screen.

Raven lifted her voice, distracting the villain on the television before he could target Robin again. "Why do you want to know our pasts? The past is all just that; in the past, so there is nothing to gain."

"Why wouldn't I?" The Voice hummed. "What kind of villain would I be if I didn't want to know all of the Titans' deepest and darkest secrets which, consequently, include their pasts? And why are you worried, Raven?" The Voice leaned toward the screen, filling it up with shadow. "What are you hiding?" Raven glowered back, and the villain abruptly moved back. "The rails transmit the thoughts in your head as images onto the television. We'll get to see your past on the screen just like a movie at the theater, just without the snacks and refreshments. But that's not even the fun part."

The Voice pressed a button somewhere nearby, and the handrails began vibrating, sending tremors up the Titans' arms. "You can rescue a Titan from having everyone watch their pasts by stepping down a stair. But going down a stair will change the movie from their past to yours. If you reach the bottom -the fourth step- first, you win the grand prize of saving everyone else! Oh, but we get to see the rest of your past," the Voice added nonchalantly. "Just the most impacting or painful part of course, nothing boring or we'd be here forever. Still, I win no matter what because someone's past is going to be seen." He paused, taking in the horrified and loathing expressions from the Titans, and then remembered something. "Oh, and those electric handcuffs aren't just to keep you there. If anybody looks away from the screen, everyone gets a little shock." To demonstrate, the Voice pressed another button and a jolt of electricity bit the Titans' skin. "You don't get to be free until someone reaches the fourth step and their most painful memory is for me to see. So, who should I start with?"

While the Voice pondered his dilemma, Starfire addressed her teammates. "Friends, we must protect Robin's identity."

Robin opened his mouth to object; he wasn't about to let his teammates go through such a difficult task by themselves. His protest was cut off by Raven, the empath's impassive voice reaching all of the Titans' ears. "She's right. The Voice can't find out who you are." She narrowed her eyes at the young leader. "Robin, don't you dare move from that spot."

Robin straightened, mouth a thin line. "I'm not going to just allow you all to deal with this by yourselves."

"You don't have much of a choice."

The Voice interrupted their growing argument. "Alright, Robin it is! So Robin, whatever you do, don't think about your past." Movement from the screen indicated the press of another button, and the handrail hummed, vibrating the Titans' fingers. The large television underneath the Voice's buzzed to life, and after a moment of static, the picture faded into focus. The scene was colorful, striped with reds, yellows, and whites. A large elephant passed by, followed by a cart containing a tiger.

"A circus!" the Voice exclaimed. "Who doesn't love the circus?"

"Robin! You must stop thinking about it!" Starfire cried, turning toward Robin. A small shock ran up each of the Titans' arms, and the girl quickly looked back at the screen. Robin tried heeding her words, thinking of random subjects or other memories, but he succeeded in only fading the scene a little.

The video's point of view was from Robin's, so luckily no one could see his face. The relief was short-lived, however, when a voice called out to him. "Sweetheart!" A young, dark-haired woman approached, holding her hand out to Robin. Since the picture came from the leader's point of view, it looked as if the lady reached out for the Titans. A smaller hand appeared, most likely Robin's, and took hers. The woman smiled. "Are you ready to go inside? It's almost time for-."

Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. The team glanced in Robin's direction, seeing his brow furrowed and fingers clenched tightly around the handrail. His expression read of determination and pain; somehow he was suppressing what the woman had said, but it obviously took a toll on him. A gasp escaped his lips and sound returned.

"Now don't be scared, honey," the lady soothed, eyes crinkling with her smile. "You've done this a thousand times, and this will be just like all the others." Watching the screen with sweat shining on his forehead, Robin mentally thanked his mother for her pet names. Nostalgia rose in his throat, but he forced it down as the woman led his younger self toward the tent. "Come along, my little flying bird."

Robin's voice, high at the age of a young pubescent, piped up. "I do have a name, Mom."

His mother laughed, a sweet sound that tugged at Robin's gut, and she squeezed young Robin's hand. "I know, I know, but what kind of a mother would I be if I didn't give you nicknames?" When younger Robin huffed childishly -something present Robin would never do now- the woman chuckled. "Alright, alright, I'll use your real name-."

A thud sounded from Starfire's stairs, and the Titans saw her jumping down a step. There must've been pressure plates or something of the like on the stairs because the picture on the television changed instantly. The Voice huffed in frustration, moving back from the screen where he'd been leaning forward in anticipation. Robin shot Starfire a grateful glance before a small shock zapped up their hands. The Titans moved their attention to the television once again.

The scene was set in a little round bedroom. The walls were blue and had a white design similar to that of spider webbing crawling up them. A long mirror sat leaning against the wall, and in it, one could see a young Starfire around the age of six or seven. On the ground, tongue flopping out to the side and panting, rolled a pink dog-like creature with playful written all over it. Young Starfire squealed in delight as it pawed at her, blue nose nudging her tummy.

Watching the flat screen, Starfire inhaled a tight breath. She pressed her lips together, tears welling up in her eyes. "Snar," she whispered. Her teammates heard but did not comment, unsure of what to say.

Television Starfire laughed, tackling the pet in a hug and giggling when its long fuzzy tail circled up to her nose. The young girl paused, sniffling, and then sneezed suddenly, causing the animal to jump in surprise. Young Starfire rubbed her face, squeaking happily when her pet licked her nose. Footsteps distracted the duo, and both Starfire and the pink creature turned toward the sound, mirror's reflection vanishing as the scene rotated toward a door nearby.

Galfore, her K'norfka or babysitter, stood in the entrance with a wide smile on his face. The large man smiled kindly, a warm expression despite an under-bite, enormous beard, and tiny green eyes. He entered the room a few steps, addressing the child. "Koriand'r, are you having fun?"

Raven spoke to Starfire quietly. "How are we able to understand what he's saying? I thought neither of you knew English back then."

Starfire murmured her response, eyes glued to the screen. "I am doing the mental translation of the Tamaranean language."

Raven risked a brief glimpse at her friend. "Wouldn't you rather us not know what's being said?"

"It does not matter," Starfire said simply. "You will know what is happening either way."

Young Starfire, or Koriand'r, laughed happily, a tiny hand entering the screen and patting her pet on the head. "Yes, Galfore! I love Snar!"  
Galfore smiled widely, kneeling down to ruffle the fur of Starfire's pet. "I am sure your Dror loves you too. But now it is time for your dinner, Koriand'r. After you eat, you may come back to play with Snar."

"Okay!" young Koriand'r piped, and the screen rocked a little as she rose to her feet. Pink fur filled the television as she gave Snar one more hug before Koriand'r turned to Galfore. He offered her a hand, leading her out of the room, and the scene shifted, blurring.

"Dude, what's happening?" Beast Boy asked, speaking everyone's thoughts.

Starfire responded to him, her voice wavering. "I believe time is passing."

Robin heard the falter in her response. "Star, are you okay?"

She didn't answer.

Galfore followed Koriand'r back to the bedroom as she strolled down the hall, the child humming in a tone-deaf manner that she no doubt carried into her teenage years. She reached the entrance, placing two tiny palms on the door and pushing. It swung back, and Koriand'r's singing cut off in a choked cry.

Snar, her pet Dror, lay sprawled out on the ground, legs lying limply at its side and a deep gash in its side with blood spilling out onto the floor. The pink animal's eyes were open, glazed over and staring at nothing. Koriand'r released a sob, seemingly unable to look away.

A quiet tap was heard from the stairs, and the television flickered to a different scene, also in a bedroom, but this Titan was rocking back and forth in a crib rather than standing. Out of the corner of their eyes, the team glimpsed the purple cloak of Raven standing on the steps below them. Starfire released a shaky breath. "Thank you, friend Raven."

Raven didn't look at her. "Who did it?"

Starfire's voice was low and tight. "Komand'r." The name was unfamiliar to the Titans, but they didn't push further.

Raven's memory consisted of much darker and fuzzier lighting than Robin and Starfire's, and the screen barely showed the yellow ceiling and walls outside of her crib. Even as a baby, Raven was virtually silent. Through the dim lighting, a blurry face entered her sights and peered down.

Beast Boy was squinting at the television, his nose wrinkled. "Are you doing that?" he asked Raven. "Making it hard to see?"

Raven shook her head. "No, I believe that my memory is at such a young age that it is difficult to recall everything."

"So who's this guy?" Cyborg questioned, tilting his head toward the skinny man on the screen.

"I was told his name was Juris."

Juris couldn't have been much older than twenty, and from baby Raven's point of view, she saw him glancing back and forth nervously. Bunching his curly scarlet hair in his fists, Juris cast one more glance around the room before releasing his short locks and lifting Raven up out of the crib. "I am sorry, little one," he murmured, scooping baby Raven into his arms, draping his gray cloak around the child. "This is not your doing, but you still must suffer." He exhaled. "Even as I will for breaking all of Azarath's laws."

The Titans shifted, trying to understand if they'd heard correctly. Raven just stayed still, watching the television and knowing what would happen.

Juris carried baby Raven out of the room and into a large, yellow hallway with a tall door at the end. A quiet cry was heard, and it took a moment for the teenagers watching to understand the sound came from baby Raven. Juris hurried down the corridor, casting looks over his shoulder every few seconds. Footsteps besides his own echoed up the hall to reach his ears, and Juris broke into a sprint.

He reached the enormous door quickly and threw himself against it, shoving it back with a thunderous boom. Turning from a small crowd of people that ran down the hall in his direction, the man looked to what existed on the other side of the door. To describe it simply, it was space; bright stars and planets on a black background, streaked by pink and white galaxies below. Baby Raven's crying increased, now a constant wail.

"Do not fear, child," Juris whispered, staring at the space in front of him. "I will go with you and care for you in the realm beyond Trigon's reach."

"No, Juris!" A bearded old man ran toward them, a hand outstretched. Just over his shoulder sprinted a woman in appearance similar to Raven, most likely her mother. The elder pleaded, "Please do not do this! You were one of our originals; how can you ignore our laws?!" He gasped. "To kill is our most heinous sin!"

"You think I don't know that, Coman?" Juris responded, his face wide with fear. His hands tightened on baby Raven's form, and she cried louder. "My heart is torn because of what I must do." He whirled around, and the screen rotated up toward the ceiling. Juris was holding Raven above his head, prepared to throw her into space. "But if Azarath and the other worlds beyond are to live, I have no other choice!"

A light flashed from somewhere past the great door, and a blood-red light burst through. From Raven's position in Juris's hands, all that was visible was a flash of crimson and a scream so chilling that it was no wonder Raven's memories had chosen this as her horrible recollection to watch. Baby Raven dropped from the air, and ash from Juris's body flew up around her. The man, Coman, and Raven's mother crouched over baby Raven, concern and fear written all over their faces.

A ringing resonated through the air. The television abruptly changed, and the Titans stood on the staircase viewing a dark, empty room. A window in the wall directly across from the teenager was covered in dirt, but a small smudge at the base created a faint reflection; it was enough for the watching Titans to see a younger robotic Cyborg seated on the floor of an old apartment, a phone pressed to his ear.

While television Cyborg waited for the person on the other end of the receiver to pick up, the phone's continuous ring constant and unchanging, the Titans tried to process what they'd just witnessed. Beast Boy spoke first, staring at Raven's back before remembering to keep his eyes on the screen. Luckily the Voice hadn't noticed.

"Rae… Was that dude trying to…?"

"Kill me. Yes," Raven answered, her voice as emotionless as ever. "On Azarath –which is where I was raised- many were kind and helped me control my powers. However, there were others who disagreed, believing that they were bringing death upon the world by taking me in." She held her head up, unblinking at the flat screen. "I do not blame them; I myself would not have taken such a risk. Their kindness was unexpected and unreasonable."

Starfire frowned, pressing her lips together and tightening her grip on the handrails. "But that does not mean the man should have attempted such a horrible task!" Raven chose not to respond.

"What was the red light?" Robin asked, trying to shift the subject.

"Trigon." The teams actually sucked in audible breaths at this, and Raven nodded, understanding their disbelief. "He wished to keep me alive until I was to become his portal. In a way, he was only confirming those with the fears of keeping me on Azarath; I would only bring death."

"Raven, that's not true," Cyborg reminded, smiling briefly at her.

She returned his look, her lips curving up ever so slightly. "Thank you."

Apparently the person television Cyborg was calling wasn't home. An older man's voice left a voice recording saying he wasn't home and asking to call back later or leave a message. The answering machine beeped, and television Cyborg cleared his throat. "Uh, hey, it's Victor." Cyborg, or Victor, placed a robotic hand on his knee. "I'm callin' for Marcy. I know you've probably heard about the… accident… but I was hopin' you might wanna meet up again sometime. I mean, I've called you a lot lately without an answer, and I get that you're probably busy, but I'd really appreciate talkin' to someone. With my mom gone, and me and my old man on, uh, not great terms, you're kinda all I have to talk to right now… So… please call back, Marc. You know the number."

Victor lowered the phone from his ear, pressing a button and hanging up. He stared at the old cell phone for a moment in silence, running a thumb over the edge before suddenly squeezing his hand into a fist. The device was crushed as easily as a can of pop, and Victor chucked the phone at the wall. It shattered apart. Victor folded his arms over his knees, staring at the jumble of electronics all over the room. "Yeah, I get it. She ain't available anymore. Not to a freak like me."

Biting his lip, Beast Boy jumped down a stair, and the screen flickered to the setting of a jungle. Cyborg didn't say anything, but neither did Beast Boy. The green boy knew how his friend got when it came to personal stuff, let alone his past; Cyborg tended to shut down. They were both aware how grateful Cyborg was though.

Young Beast Boy -also known as Garfield, his birth name- sauntered down an overgrown path, swinging his arms back and forth as he walked. Squinted at the television, Beast Boy realized which memory he was watching. "Oh, hey! I remember this! Dude, I was such a little dude when this happened!" The other members of his team glanced at him, confused by the lack of silence or sadness from his tone. Weren't these memories supposed to be hard?

Young Garfield paused, a tree root coming along the path, and he slowed to climb over it. A glimpse of his hands appeared on the screen, and the Titans felt a flicker of surprise upon noting that his skin was not colored green. Before anyone could mention it, the screech of an animal came from the television, and the team and child Garfield drew their attention to the trees where a troop of monkeys chattered together.

"Monkeys!" he squeaked, running under the branch where the mammals had gathered. Of course, his loud squeal frightened the animals and sent them swinging away into the trees. Garfield chased after them for a little while, eventually growing tired on his short legs and halting with a gasp. With a disappointed grunt, no doubt paired with an unseen pout, the child turned around to find one of the very monkeys he'd been chasing sitting in front of him on the path. It chattered, a wild look in its eye.

Garfield reached out for it, stumbling toward the animal with apparent intentions to pet it. The monkey chattered again, and foam spilled out of its mouth. The screen's advance in the direction of the animal slowed, Garfield seeming to recognize that something was off. "Monkey?"

The monkey screeched, baring large teeth at the boy, and abruptly leapt onto him. Young Garfield cried out, his arms up and pushing unsuccessfully at the animal. The primate jumped up and down on him, screaming and swinging limbs against the child before biting hard onto one of Garfield's wrists. Garfield wailed, bawling for his mother and father as blood streamed down his arm. The television began darkening as he started to lose consciousness, but then it flickered, and Starfire had stepped down another stair.

Beast Boy could feel the eyes on him, and a small jolt of electricity shocked the Titans. They reluctantly looked away, but their confusion and concern was still apparent. "Heh, stupid monkey," he smiled, but it seemed fake. His mouth opened, but then it shut again as if he couldn't think of what to say and instead chewed on his lip.

Starfire's memory setting was located on Tamaran, but it was in the middle of chaos. The grand buildings had holes in them or were alight with fire. Unfamiliar battleships fired upon the city. Young Koriand'r and multiple other young children crouched in a wide square filled with vegetation some ways away, presumably in a garden. Many kids were trembling with fear while others tried calming their friends. The scene lacked any adults save for the occasional Tamaranean flying into battle above the city, fists clenched or holding a weapon. The only child who did not look worried was a young girl with black hair and bright purple eyes that drank in the fight with interest.

"Who is that?" Raven asked.

Starfire lowered her head, though her eyes had to remain on the screen. "Blackfire."

Child Blackfire turned toward Koriand'r and the others, lifting an unimpressed eyebrow. "We should be fighting with them too."

A young red-haired boy stared back at her in horror, his eyes glassy with tears. "But-but, sister! We could die!"

Blackfire shook her head at him, unimpressed. "Ryand'r, our family is fighting and risking their lives to keep our home from the invaders. We are warriors like they are, and we should be fighting as well!" She stared down the other children, clenching a tiny fist at them. "If we do not fight, who are we to call ourselves warriors?"

"But sister," Koriand'r's voice interrupted, and her hand moved out to touch Blackfire's shoulder. Blackfire frowned at her. "Our parents told us to keep ourselves and our friends safe," Koriand'r reminded, gesturing at the group huddled by a large fern-like plant. "How are we to do that if we are fighting?"

"Do not be afraid, sister," Blackfire scolded. "Hesitance only shows weakness in a battle, and we have no time for such a thing." She faced the children, hands on her hips. "For those of you who are not cowards, follow me into battle! We shall prove we are warriors like our parents or die trying!"

About half of the kids rose to their feet, convinced courage on their faces, and they stood beside Blackfire. The young girl flashed a triumphant smile at her sister, lifting off of the ground with glowing fists. Koriand'r reached for her. "Do not be rash! Sister! Komand'r!"

Robin and Raven both visibly jolted, recognizing the name from Starfire's first memory, and a moment later Cyborg and Beast Boy realized it too. Robin's mouth opened slightly in disbelief. "Starfire, you said Komand'r… Komand'r is-?"

"Yes."

On the television, the children siding with Blackfire –now known as Komand'r- flew after the young princess into the battle. The boy with red hair uncertainly stood up, but Koriand'r grabbed his shoulders. "No, please brother, stay here. I fear what may happen if you leave. I fear for our sister already, please do not make me worry for you too."

Hesitantly the child nodded, and he and Koriand'r glanced at the sky where explosions sounded and machinery and blood rained down.

A metallic clank came from Cyborg's stairs, and the screenshot changed to that of a long, clean hallway. Victor walked down the corridor, nodding to others who passed by. Most of the people wore lab coats or something similar, and judging by that paired with the labels above doors marking people's offices and laboratories, it was probably safe to say that Victor was in a science building.

Victor caught a glimpse of his reflection in a window and he paused, posing a smile at himself. Unlike in the present, the teenager was entirely human, and quite a fit one at that. Victor nodded, strolling once again down the hallway and turning into a room marked _Silas Stone_.

He grabbed the door handle, twisting it open and calling out, "Hey old man, I wanted to drop by to let you know-."

His words cut off in a strangled cry. The laboratory had been broken apart. Bottles lay shattered and cracked on the floor, strange liquids spilling out of them. An older dark man had collapsed unconscious near a large computer at the back, and pouring out of it was an abomination from another universe. Bubbly, slimy, and acidic, the thing had no true form. It crawled over the floor, leaving behind streaks of orange and yellow. In the corner where a mass of the creature gurgled, a high shriek was heard, and a pair of hands reached out from the monster, bleeding and melting.

"Mom!" Victor shouted, starting toward her, but the thing heard his cry. Another section of its being slid across the floor, taking ahold of his leg. An agonized scream erupted from Victor's lips, and the creature bubbled up his body, wrapping around his arms and chest, eventually blinding him in one eye.

His cry was replaced with another's, this one higher and panicked. Cyborg's memory vanished, replaced by one with a brunette woman sprinting through the jungle seen a few minutes before. Beast Boy looked to the side at Cyborg. "Dude…"

Cyborg shrugged, a small, humorless smile on his human face. "Well, ya'll always were curious how I turned into Cyborg. My dad saved me and turned me into this. Now ya know." He gave no sign of continuing, and the teenagers focused on the television, albeit reluctantly.

Garfield peered through drooped eyes up at his mother, the brunette woman holding him to her chest as she sprinted through the jungle toward a small house. She reached it quickly and threw the door open. A blonde man sitting at a desk looked up from his pile of papers. "Marie? What's wrong?"

"Garfield- he- he was attacked-," Marie gasped, reaching down to her son's wrist where blood coated his arm. She gently grasped the limp limb, showing the man who shoved his chair back in shock.

He was beside the woman and boy in an instant, examining the wound. His eyes grew wide, lifting them to Marie. "What bit him?"

In Garfield's half-conscious haze, he saw Marie's face contort in an attempt to keep from crying. "One of the monkeys." The man swore under his breath, whirling around to his desk and snatching up a fistful of papers. Marie fought back her tears. "It's my fault, it's my fault! I never should have left him alone, Mark, especially knowing what dangers there are in the jungle! What kind of a mother am I?"

Mark frowned, grabbing the woman's shoulders and looking her in the eye. "No. It's no one's fault except the monkey's. We will fix this."

Mark faced his desk again, grabbing various papers, and Marie's hold on Garfield shifted, supporting his head with her upper arm. "Mark, the Sakutia."

"We have no choice but to try the serum."

"Mark!" Marie grabbed her husband's shoulder tightly, forcing him to look at her. "The cure is untested, and Garfield is not a test subject!"

Mark met his wife's pleading gaze with determination. "He will die, Marie. This is our only option."

Whatever Marie might've said in response was cut off by a soft wail from Garfield. He rolled over in his mother's arms, and Mark and Marie's faces left the screen to be replaced by the brown shirt his mother wore. His crying continued even as darkness around the edges of his vision closed in and overtook him.

The next scene came in blurry. Garfield lay flat on a metal table, breathing heavily and tossing back and forth. Hazy figures bent over him, a slim hand holding his small fingers and murmuring soothing words. Garfield started whimpering, apparently in pain, and then howling as the hurt increased. Mark's voice cut through the hum of continuous sound.

"Keep him still, Marie. I have no doubt this will hurt."

The slim hand covering his reached up to his shoulders, grasping him and pushing him against the table. The other figure not holding him down moved closer, a needle in hand. Marie whispered, "I'm sorry, darling. This is the only way."

Watching the television, Beast Boy stiffened and squeezed the handrail forcefully. Mark grasped Garfield's little arm, the needle pressing against his normal skin. Beast Boy clenched his jaw and then shook his head back and forth. "Ah-N-no. I'm sorry, guys," he apologized quietly, squeezing his eyes shut. As expected, several shocks ran up through the Titans' arms, but still Beast Boy didn't look. The scream that followed, erupting from young Garfield's mouth, caused a cringe from each of the Titans, but most of all Beast Boy.

The scream abruptly stopped, and Beast Boy released a breath, opening his eyes. Raven was standing beside him with unease on her face, having stepped down another stair. "Beast Boy."

The pounding in his chest slowed as he realized the scene was over, and the pain and needle were gone. "Th-," he swallowed. "Thanks."

She kept her gaze on him for another few seconds until a zap jolted the team, and she and the others viewed the television again. It was completely black. Everyone stared at it in confusion.

"Is the 'game' over?" Starfire asked hesitantly, unwilling to raise her hopes.

As if to answer her question, a low, deep chuckle echoed throughout the room, and two glowing red eyes appeared on the flat screen. They blinked, a slow smile stretching out underneath them. Another pair of eyes faded into focus, as scarlet and evil as the last. The mouth opened, revealing daggers for teeth. "Daughter Raven."

The memory Raven failed to respond, and a flash of fire suddenly lit up the darkness. A ring of flames encircled memory Raven with Trigon's head floating above it all, two clawed hands just beside him. They manipulated the fire, soothing it or raging it to extreme temperatures. "Raven," Trigon's voice boomed. "You cannot ignore me forever! Your heritage is not something you can forget! You are my daughter!" One of the enormous hands stretched out for her.

The screen suddenly lurched back, and a voice high and unguarded by its usual impassive tone exclaimed, "No! No, no! Leave me alone! I am not your daughter!"

Trigon's grin stretched out even further. "So you say. Yet, if you ask your mother, there is no doubt that she will confirm this. Just accept the truth, my daughter."

"No!" memory Raven shouted, scrambling further away from the talons. She turned to run, but the path was blocked by a wall of flame. Claws appeared in front of her, snatching ahold of the girl and wrapping around her arms. "Leave me alone! I am not your child! Let me go!" she screamed.

Trigon released a deep bellow of laughter, but a softer cry, though just as demanding, interrupted him. It was a woman's voice. "Trigon, leave her alone!" The words grew louder, and Trigon's laugh diminished. "She is not yours to claim! Let my daughter go! Raven! _Raven_!"

Memory Raven blinked, and the scene changed entirely. She sat in a bed, held to the chest of a woman with a face so similar to Raven's that it could be no one but her mother. Memory Raven's hand appeared, wiping at her face. "Arella," she gasped, and Arella lifted Raven's head, petting her hair comfortingly. Memory Raven continued sobbing, "Evil, so very evil. Mother, who-who was he? He said… I- that I was his daughter."

Arella briefly closed her eyes, pulling Raven to her chest again. "Raven… Darling, there is a reason you have been raised as an empath. I have something to tell you about your birth, and I can only hope you will forgive me."

"The Gordanians have arrived." Starfire stood up straight on her stair, the dreaded fourth step just below her, and watching her memory the take place of Raven's. Koriand'r was positioned in a small chair, fiddling with slim fingers on her lap and looking aimlessly around the plain room. Square and gray with a tall ceiling, the space offered little interest for a teenager's eye. As she heard the announcement, she rose. Two adults entered the room.

"Mother, Father." Koriand'r greeted, her voice shaking. Her parents enveloped her in a hug before she could speak anymore.

After a long silence, they drew apart. Her mother failed to hide the tears which streamed down her cheeks, and she sobbed silently as her husband spoke. "With Komand'r run away, Ryand'r missing, and now you taken from us… I do not know how we shall live."

Koriand'r grasped her father's hands, and then her mother's. "Do not give up hope for me, Father; I will find a way back home." Her voice faltered, strained with tears, and then she whispered, "I love you."

"We love you," her mother choked, embracing Koriand'r once again. A door opened, revealing a green scaly creature.

"It is time to hand over the princess," he gurgled, "unless you wish to declare war on us again?"

"So soon?" Koriand'r's father sighed. "I hoped there would be more time…"

The Gordanian shrugged, pushing aside the parents and latching a pair of handcuffs on Koriand'r's hands that would deem her starbolt abilities useless. Koriand'r's vision darkened a shade of green, and she snarled at them. "You will regret taking me from my family, Gordanian." The scaled alien only sneered at her.

"Unlikely."

The screen flashed unexpectedly, and the Titans blinked at the television in confusion. The picture was that of a circus, two adults swaying back and forth on trapeze ropes. Realizing what had happened, Raven snapped her head back to see Robin standing one stair lower than a minute ago.

"Robin!" she barked, knowing exactly why he had moved down a step. It had been for Starfire's sake so she wouldn't have to watch the memory any longer, but in his protecting her, the leader had placed his identity at risk once again. An audible _snap_ came from the flat screen, and the empath turned toward the television in time to see the trapeze artists falling from their swings. Young Robin shouted in horror, watching them drop from the air, but a second before the two hit the ground, Raven moved down another stair to stand beside Starfire on the third step.

Raven glared daggers at her leader. "We told you not to move." Robin simply met her gaze, not regretting his actions in the least. He'd seen the tears forming in Starfire's eyes while watching the memory with her parents, and it pulled at his heart in a way that he couldn't ignore. Anything was better than watching her suffer.

On the television, young Raven stood silently on a platform above a crowd of monks. An old woman lay on a table beside the empath, her arms crossed over her chest and clothed in golden armor. Her helmet's design was that of a raven's, and its curved beak bowed over her face like a metal hood. Standing at her side with young Raven were a few monks and Arella, a few years older than the last memory. An elderly man grasped the woman's hand, mumbling words of prayer under his breath. Once he'd finished, the woman nodded to Arella.

"Arella, come here," she summoned, her voice like the creak in a wooden door.

Arella obeyed, placing her hand on the old woman's arm. "Azar?"

The woman, Azar, glanced at Raven for a moment and then back at Arella. "My time in this realm has drawn to a close. I am dying."

Arella bowed her head, murmuring. "I-I know this."

Azar coughed, forcing her words out to be heard. "But many more will die should Raven not heed my lessons to her. The child has been taught what she needs to know. Her emotions can be controlled if you do not tempt her, but you must continue her education, Arella. Teach her to use all of her unique powers. But more importantly, Arella, however cold the girl may seem, never shun her and never fear her."

Arella blinked, tears dropping from her cheek. "Fear her-? H-how could I fear my own daughter-?"

But it was too late. Azar had closed her eyes for the last time. A soft moan rumbled from the gathered monks, one which young Raven joined. Her vision blurred, tears clouding the screen.

Raven exhaled softly, reliving the death of her mentor through the television and feeling liquid prick her eyes even now. Before any fluid could escape down her cheeks, she saw movement from the corner of her eye, and Beast Boy dropped onto the third stair. His eyes lingered on the television as, much to everyone's shock, he stepped down one more step to land on the bottom stair.

"Beast Boy, wh-?"

"Most painful memory, right?" he interrupted, staring at the television. He swallowed, clenching his jaw. "Okay, here it is."

The screen fizzed, and the Titans were back in the jungle; or rather, they were above it. From the look of things, the injection had been successful. Garfield was still alive, now green, and a shape-shifter. He swooped over the trees as a small bird, circling clouds a few times before flying down to a wide river where a canoe floated at its the center. He landed clumsily, flapping in an awkward manner onto the middle seat rather than perching, and then changed back into his human form. The two adults in the boat rowed their oars, guiding the canoe along with the current.

"Did you see me, Mom?!" Garfield exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down. At the back of the canoe, his mother smiled kindly at him and nodded. "Yeah?! It was so cool! I think I finally understand how to fly!"

His father, Mark, called back to him. "Don't rock the boat, Garfield."

Garfield rubbed his nose, no doubt grinning, and stopped. "Oh, heh, sorry Dad. But did you see me?!"

Mark chuckled, pausing in his paddling to pat his son on the head. "Yes, Garfield. It was amazing."

Marie smiled as well, leaning to the side to avoid a splash of water. "Before you know it, you'll be transforming into all kinds of animals! Won't that be incredible?"

"Whoa," Garfield said as if he were thinking about the endless possibilities. "Even… dinosaurs?! Like a T-Rex?!"

"Maybe," his mother laughed. A quiet _thud_ was heard from the front of the canoe, but Garfield seemed not to notice and continued chatting animatedly. Mark's voice hushed his son's.

"Marie."

Marie peered over her son's head, eyes widening and murmuring something softly under her breath. Garfield turned to see what they were looking at, but his mother grasped his shoulders suddenly. She caught sight of something, most likely her husband mouthing words to her, and then stared Garfield straight in the eye. "Honey, I need you to show me that bird again, alright? Turn into that bird and go have another nice and safe flight."

Garfield made a confused sound, turning his head toward the front of the canoe again. "Uh, okay, but what-?"

His mother placed her hands on either side of his head, forcing him to look at her again. "Promise me that you'll be careful, Garfield."

"What?" Garfield blinked multiple times. "Yeah, okay, I promise, Mom, but I don't really get-." The words rushed out of him as Marie pulled her son to her chest in a tight hug. Another pair of arms wrapped around Garfield, his father's.

"We love you," Mark said, and then he and Marie released the boy.

Marie nodded to the sky. "Now go fly."

Dipping his head hesitantly, Garfield jumped off the side of the canoe and morphed into a small bird. Flying up high above the river and jungle, the shape-shifter glided a little ways ahead, finding to his surprise that the land suddenly fell away in a steep cliff. Soaring down around to the base of the drop, he found another river like his parents were rowing in. Giving a tired sigh, Garfield lowered himself to the ground and changed back into a human. Following the river with his eyes, he saw with a start that the water was coming from a waterfall.

On the staircase, multiple gasps reached Beast Boy's ears. His friends had figured it out. Small streams of liquid made their way down his cheek, but he refused to look away from the screen. Next to him, Raven stepped down to the fourth stair, hoping to avoid the scene, but Beast Boy had reached the bottom first and they had to see his memory all the way through.

Young Garfield had pieced together everything at this point, but before he could even move, the canoe came into view. First the pointed tip, then the bottom, and then the canoe tipped forward. Two shadows fell out of the little boat, arms and legs out and echoes of their cries reaching Garfield's ears as they disappeared into the drizzle of the waterfall.

"Mom! Dad!" Garfield screamed, running forward toward the pool of liquid below. He reached it quickly, but the river's current had already swept away any remains of the broken canoe. The boy dropped to his knees on the edge of the riverbed, sobbing and wailing for his mother and father. The television dimmed black, and, with a small shock, the electric handcuffs keeping the Titans captive vanished. Oddly enough, the Voice failed to comment on what they'd seen, even remaining silent when the team was released. His screen simply shut off and a door opened the path to the next room.

Raven released the handrails, clenching and unclenching her fists, and looked at Beast Boy. His eyes were now shut, angled away from her and the others with one hand by his face. He was crying, but clearly trying to keep the others from seeing it. Knowing the Titans already were on their way down the stairs and no doubt would notice in a few seconds, Raven did the only thing she could think of. She walked over to Beast Boy, grabbed his shoulder to make him face her, and then pulled him into a hug, hiding his tear-streaked face in her cloak. A single shake ran down his back, and he wrapped his arms around her in response.

After a few moments, they moved apart. Beast Boy's eyes were red from crying, but his tears had ceased. He offered Raven a small grateful smile, and then turned to his teammates. Starfire stood very close to Robin, and Cyborg was waiting for Beast Boy and Raven. Rubbing his nose, Beast Boy approached his friends. Starfire broke from her position first and gently embraced him. "Friend Beast Boy, that was so brave of you," she sniffled.

Beast Boy smiled again, returning the quick hug and stepping back. "Any of you guys would've done it; I just figured we should get it over with so nobody else had to watch sad depressing stuff."

Robin placed a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder, dipping his head. "I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you." The Titans nodded. Raven caught a smile of her own before anyone could see it. Beast Boy had just expressed a maturity she didn't know he possessed. He'd made the decision to go down another step before anyone else could suffer. That's who he was; he wanted others to be happy. It occurred to her that might be why Beast Boy always tried to make people, especially her, laugh. He didn't want to see people upset or left alone as he had been as a child.

"Well, now at least I don't gotta worry about you buggin' me to tell you my backstory, huh BB?" Cyborg asked, ruffling Beast Boy's hair. Beast Boy wrinkled his nose at him, smirking and fixing his green locks.

"Naw, my curiosity's good for now," he replied, canine tooth poking his lip.

Cyborg smiled at his smaller friend. "But seriously man, what you did? That was pretty impressive."

"Yeah," Beast Boy grinned, a mischievous glint in his green eye. "It was."


	7. The Truth or Dare Room

**I cannot apologize enough for my delay in updating. I have no real excuse other than my own laziness, and I hope you can forgive me. This chapter will be a little less serious due to the previous one being so serious, and it is thus far the longest of chapters. Hopefully the length will make up for my inexcusable delay.**

**Thank you to _xXarcherXx _for the suggestion that influenced some of this chapter.**

* * *

"Dare I ask what this room is for?" Raven asked, peering emotionlessly at the setup before her. The large white room was empty save for five pairs of sleeping bags and pillows lined up in a row, each dyed the Titans' respective colors. A screen on the opposite wall came to life, and the Voice's shadowy form appeared.

"Interesting choice of words, Raven," he chuckled, "for this is what I have dubbed the Truth or Dare room."

Robin and Raven stared back at the screen blankly, Beast Boy putting a finger in his ear and Cyborg tapping the side of his head to make sure he'd heard correctly. Unlike her friends, however, Starfire brightened. "Like the Dare or Truth played at 'sleepovers'?"

"Exactly," the Voice confirmed.

Crossing her arms, Raven muttered, "Hence the sleeping bags."

The Voice did not address her, and continued. "After such a hard time in the previous room, I decided to give you all a break to play a traditional game for once."

"Can _we _decide what the game is?" Robin asked, mask shifting as he looked up at the television.

Raven lifted a hand. "I second that. Truth or Dare sounds unappealing to me."

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed, "I'd rather play 'escape from the villain'."

"But friends!" Starfire interrupted, sending the Titans a pleading stare. "Does not the game of Dare or Truth sound fun?"

"No," Raven grunted. "It does not."

The Voice's words echoed throughout the room. "Do not fear, Starfire! Just for you, I will make the game more interesting so your friends will want to play as well!" The bleep of a button was heard from the screen. "Now scurry over to your spots, little Titans, while I set the stage."

The team made their way cautiously toward the sleeping bags, faintly wondering how much Starfire was really against this particular challenge. The five teenagers came to a stop in a row, standing beside or on top of the sleeping bags and pillows. At the Voice's instruction, they each stepped into their said items, standing and tugging the bags up around their waists.

Beast Boy snuggled down into his sleeping bag, crouching and pulling the hood-like top over his head, shutting his eyes. "Dude, I'm so for just relaxing and taking a nap time. Anyone else with me?" Receiving multiple glares and eye twitches, he shrugged and responded with a grin.

"Hey, we look like we're gonna do that potato sack racin' thing!" Cyborg realized, struggling to fit inside his tiny sleeping bag.

"In a way, Cyborg," the Voice stated deep and ominously. "In a way. Now," he continued in a lighter tone, "shall we begin?"

The Voice pressed one more button, and the white room changed. The Titans rose up onto a large white platform, square and tall with a long path stretching across to the opposite wall. The outline of a doorway could be seen at the end. "Our little game of Truth or Dare will be played a bit differently. Although many of the rules will remain unchanged,_ I_ will be the only one providing the truths and dares, and _you_ all will be my victims. Err, I mean-," he chuckled lowly," –volunteers." Movement from the television indicated his gesture toward the road in front the Titans. "This here will be your additional game of hopscotch. Lucky you! I'm feeling kind and adding yet another game!" In front of the Titans, faint square imprints faded into existence. The Titans had four each set in a line ahead of them, revealing sixteen squares altogether the path, every one leading closer to the door on the opposite wall. "And this will be the fun part! If you successfully complete your given truth or dare, you will move on! You get to hop forward in those sleeping bags to the next square."

"What exactly is the point of makin' us do that?" Cyborg interrupted, crossing his arms.

"It will be very entertaining to watch the Teen Titans hop around like rabbits," the Voice responded. "Now as I was saying, the dares will be dangerous, but the truths will delve into your very souls. I'd choose well. If you refuse to answer a question or complete a dare, or are not cooperating in general, punishment will follow." A chuckle followed. "I doubt a fall would do you any good, especially since none of you can fly anymore."

The Titans glanced the edges of the platform and exchanged uneasy looks. The Voice might truly be giving them a break and an easier task, but the alternative -and more likely possibility- was that this "game" would be the most difficult thus far. Of course, it wasn't as if they had much of a choice in the matter.

"What are the pillows for?" Beast Boy piped up.

"They are your passes." The Voice stated matter-of-a-factly. "You have one pass to avoid a truth or dare. It might save your life, or in the very least your dignity, so I'd-."

"Choose wisely?" Raven guessed impassively.

"Exactly," the Voice confirmed. "Now who wants to start?"

Surprisingly, the Titans did have a volunteer; unsurprisingly, it was Starfire. She wasn't stupid, and she knew the risks, but some part of the girl told her that this was her once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Her friends had long since vetoed Truth or Dare as a way to pass the time, for the game brought more problems than it did fun. The only other possibility for Truth or Dare that Starfire could think of required a sleepover, and despite her many requests for a "girl's night," Raven denied her every time. Just because the Voice's game might have life-or-death consequences didn't mean she couldn't have fun. Starfire raised her hand. "I wish to do the Daring or Truthing first," the alien princess announced.

"Really?" The Voice coughed. "A-ah, yes! Starfire, truth or dare?"

Starfire considered it, tilting her head to the side and placing a finger on her chin. "I shall choose… the truth!"

A pause followed, and the shuffling of what could be papers followed. The sound stopped. "Starfire, do you prefer flying outside or inside? And remember, I can tell if you're lying."

The Titans exchanged looks; so maybe this game wouldn't be as difficult. Starfire replied with delight. "Oh, it is most joyous flying outside!" she cried, smiling. "You see, when I fly, I feel as if the sun provides me with much strength! It is as if its rays are absorbing into my body and powering me with energy. While I enjoy flying the doors of in, I must prefer the outside."

"That's the truth," the Voice said. "Jump ahead."

As their friend focused on not falling over as she hopped onto her next square, the team smiled, realizing the significance of Starfire's name. Star-Fire. The sun –also known as a star- was made up of fire, and that ball of flame in the sky made their bright friend feel alive. She radiated heat and warmth to those around her like she herself was a little sun.

"Next!" the Voice called, drawing their attention back to the television. "Robin, how about you?"

Robin stared at the screen a moment before answering, his white mask making it difficult to read his expression and predict what he would say. "Dare." It made sense of course; one could only assume that he wasn't foolish enough to respond with truth when the Voice's main goal was to learn Robin's identity.

There was no hesitance in the Voice's question this time. "I dare you to jump through a ring of fire."

The other Titans weren't sure what to make of this, but Robin simply smirked. "I would, but I don't see any ring of fire here. I guess I'll just have to move on anyway." He'd taken but a jump forward when the Voice stopped him.

"Or is there?" Without warning, a small platform carrying none other than a large, round, and burning ring of flame sprung up in front of Robin.

The Titan narrowed his eyes. "How did I not see that coming?"

"I was wondering the same thing," the Voice responded, adding in an almost smug manner, "especially since I thought you were supposed to be a detective." Robin said nothing, dropping the sleeping bag and approaching the ring.

"Robin, please be careful!" Starfire implored, her previous cheery attitude now absent.

"That's the plan," he replied, focused on the flames dancing back and forth. After few steps in retreat, Robin sprinted forward to leap through the ring. A few barely singed hair-ends later, Robin stood in front of his dare, sleeping bag and pillow back in hand.

"That was more difficult than it needed to be," the Voice declared, the television filling up with a dark blob as the villain leaned closer. "Next time it'd be easier for you to just answer truth. It might not be as hard as you think."

"It would be easier for you to convince me to jump over a pit of spikes," Robin retorted, glaring.

The Voice chuckled. "Don't give me any ideas."

Raven's decision came next, and, realizing how tough all the dares would probably be, paused. The Voice was specifically targeting Robin with this game, experimenting to find out how much it would take to break him and expose his secret identity. This provided an easy solution for the rest of the team; answer everything as a truth. Yet, leaving Robin to deal with all the dares by himself was not something Raven and the team wanted to do. Sensing the reason for Raven's hesitance, Robin muttered quietly, "Don't worry; I can handle it. Don't make this unnecessarily hard for yourself." His message was for the entire team, not only Raven, and the Titans all nodded. While they felt sorry for Robin, he'd caught a bit of a break during the last challenge and they all needed a breather. Besides, he was Robin; he'd survive, and he'd never want the others to put themselves in danger because of him. Because there was no other way to prevent it, they'd comply this one time.

"Truth."

"Raven," the Voice mulled, "my question for you is… what is the most terrifying dream you have ever experienced?"

"It's called a nightmare and not a dream," Raven corrected, crossing her arms as best as possible while in a sleeping bag. "It'd have to be the illusion that you put us all through a few rooms ago."

"And what exactly happened in this nightmare?" the Voice questioned.

Raven refused to show any hesitance, though the answer killed her on the inside. She did not want to share her worst fears with everyone, especially the Voice, considering _he _had been the one to put her and the other Titans in that situation in the first place, but she had no choice. Besides, Raven never was one to act afraid if she could help it. "My worst fears, as was your intention."

"A little detail would be nice," the Voice suggested.

The empath shot a death stare at the screen and jerked her hood up to hide her face. "Malchior somehow cast a spell on me that drew out Rage. In short, she chased my friends away and then turned them into Trigon's slaves. I caused their deaths." She said it simply, ignoring the soft intakes of breath from her teammates and walked up to her square, all the while dying a little on the inside. Raven knew her friends wouldn't think less of her, seeing as it _was_ her worst nightmare that she'd never wish upon any of them, but still, the empath felt ashamed.

"Beast Boy," the Voice continued without commenting on Raven's answer. The green Titan's head snapped to the screen, his expression an odd mixture of unease and anger.

"Truth," he said shortly, dropping the sleeping bag's top off of his head, his humor gone.

If the Voice felt surprised at Beast Boy's unusual behavior, he did not sound like it. "Out of all the villains you've fought, which one do you dislike the most?"

Beast Boy scratched an ear, thinking and adjusting his weight. A humorless smile stretched up the side of his face as he tilted his head, peering up at the television. "Can I get brownie points if I say it's you?"

The Voice chuckled, for once a real laugh rather than an evil one. "Only if it's true."

"I kinda gotta know who you are first," Beast Boy attempted. Silence met his request, and the green Titan exhaled, lowering his arm to grasp the edge of his sleeping bag. "Worth a shot. Um… I think that I'd have to say Adonis."

A pause ensued, one in which darkened movement shifted the screen. Beast Boy, assuming he could go ahead to the next square, took a step forward, but the Voice's next words halted the Titan's progress.

"Are you sure?"

"Uh, yeah?" Beast Boy's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. His teammates glanced toward him, and he shrugged his shoulders.

The Voice tapped something the other side of the television. "That's not the whole truth."

_Now_ the rest of the team really focused on Beast Boy, finding that he refused to look anyone in the eye. Several seconds of awkward shuffling resulted, curiosity and perplexity rising in those watching. After a while, the Voice spoke up, "Are you refusing to answer?"

"No, it's just…" Beast Boy wrinkled his nose and focused on the monitor overhead. "Adonis was a close second. It's Malchior." Out of the corner of his eye, Raven visibly jolted, and her eyes glued onto him. Beast Boy cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck, and then tried to not trip as he hopped forward so to land on his square spot. Beast Boy had lied because Adonis made more sense; in a way, the criminal was something of a personal nemesis. However, Beast Boy knew how deep treachery could cut into someone, and while Malchior hadn't seemed so horrible originally, after being deceived himself, Beast Boy had formed a special dislike for the dark dragon. Whereas the green Titan's own betrayal had ended on good terms, Raven's had not, and the mere mention of Malchior could cause Beast Boy's blood to boil.

He bounced to a standstill, and had turned to look at Cyborg who remained behind them all awaiting his truth, when Beast Boy realized Raven hadn't looked away from him. A slight red color shaded his face, and he coughed. "W-what?"

She chose not to reply, focusing on the many thoughts racing throughout her head, and dropped her gaze to the white path. Beast Boy bit his lip, wondering if he should say something, but the Voice cut him off.

"Cyborg," the villain began, and the flipping of paper reached everyone's ears. It would seem that the Voice possessed a book of truth or dare questions in his hands. A chortle of amusement came from the television. "If you had to choose one person out of everyone in this room, who would you kiss?"

"Uhhh…" Cyborg squinted at the screen, disbelief on his face. "Seriously?"

"Of course."

Had Beast Boy not been glancing at Raven with worry, he'd probably have been snickering quietly to himself. This was quite a dilemma for Cyborg; Robin would no doubt kill him if he answered Starfire, and should Cyborg answer Raven, _she'd_ kill him. Both girls were out of question, and it wasn't as if his male teammates were an option, leaving no one for an answer. Never before had Cyborg even considered this question; both girls on the team had long since landed in his _SISTERS _category. How was he supposed to answer?

"Man," Cyborg grunted, frowning at the Voice on the television, "I can't decide! Honestly!"

The Voice laughed. "I can see that you're telling the truth. But humor me and just say someone."

Scowling, Cyborg ran his options over in his head again. Raven, Starfire, Robin, Beast Boy… He wished there were more options. Suddenly an idea occurred to him, and a small smile appeared on his face. "Man, out of everyone here, I'd probably want to kiss myself the most!"

Laughter rang out from Beast Boy's square, and Cyborg glanced over at him to find a large smile on the boy's green face. "Dude!"

Raven crossed her arms, muttering, "I don't know whether to be relieved, insulted, or scared." Robin was smiling, shaking his head and smirking while Starfire covered her mouth. Even the Voice found this amusing, but his laugh was distorted by the voice modifier, and it sounded fairly creepy. Before long, the villain realized he was laughing by himself.

His sound changed to a cough. "Go ahead." As Cyborg tried to hop forward without falling flat on his face -which was extremely difficult for him considering his size- Raven lifted an eyebrow.

"This 'hopping' is ridiculous," she stated in monotone.

"More ridiculous than that question?" Beast Boy grinned, and Raven exchanged a semi-amused glance with him.

The Voice addressed Starfire. "Your turn."

Naturally Starfire requested truth, and the Voice hummed. "What qualities would your future husband have to have?"

Starfire's face brightened once again, just as it had during her last question. Beast Boy's face looked surprised as did Cyborg's, whereas Raven just grunted and crossed her arms. "It's no wonder she wanted to play this game; she's getting actual questions that would be asked at a real game of truth and dare."

Starfire smiled, lifting her eyes to the television and wearing a bright expression. The others noticed, much to their amusement, Robin pretending not to pay close attention. "My future husband? I suppose I would do the wishing for him to be… kind. He would be always doing the placing of others before himself." She placed a finger on her lips, thinking. "Brave… A person of good…" Starfire trailed off, her face blushing. It seemed that she had someone specific in mind.

The Voice grunted for the alien girl to hop to her next square, and Robin lifted an eyebrow. Was it his imagination, or did the villain's response almost seem disappointed? He filed the thought in the back of his mind as the Voice spoke to him. "Robin?"

"Dare."

Unsurprised, the Voice responded accordingly. "Remember your earlier suggestion?" Robin scowled, predicting his upcoming task. "Your dare is to jump over this pit," the Voice instructed, the floor ahead of the young leader falling away into a deep hole filled with metal spikes. Robin dropped his sleeping bag, and the villain added, "With your sleeping bag and pillow. _And_ your eyes closed."

"Fine," Robin stated, stepping out and earning incredulous expressions from his friends.

"Robin, why don't you use your pass?" Raven suggested, mouth a thin line and the only hint to her inner anxiety for her friend. The other Titans agreed, nodding together.

He rolled up the sleeping bag into a bundle, proceeding to stuff it inside the pillow's case. "I don't need it." He stepped over to the edge, the two items stuck under his arm, and examined the length of the gap. It was about six or seven feet across.

Hiding a smirk, Robin paced back a few feet and counted the steps, eyes darting up and down to measure the jump. Unknowing to the Voice, Robin's acrobatic background provided him with more than enough experience and muscle strength to clear the pit. The real difficulty would come from jumping at the right time. His mask shifted, eyes closing as Robin exhaled. There was a terrifying pause, and then he sprinted forward. Six steps forward, and on the seventh, his foot touching the very edge of the pit, Robin pushed off of the ground with all the strength he could muster. Much to the Titans' relief, he cleared it by a good foot.

As Robin caught his breath, the Voice called down to him, "Did you keep your eyes closed the entire time?" Because of the mask, no one had been able to tell whether or not Robin had been squinting or really closed his eyes.

"Yes," Robin breathed, inhaling and exhaling as his adrenaline died down. The pounding in his ears faded just in time to hear the Voice's disappointed grumble.

"Congratulations," the villain stated dryly before moving on. "Raven, you're next."

"Truth," the empath answered. She, just as much as her teammates, had nearly suffered a heart attack while watching Robin clear the pit. However, even her own natural pale skin couldn't compete with the deathly white on Starfire's face. Had she not known better, Raven would've thought the alien princess to be a red-haired ghost. She caught Robin and Starfire meeting one another's eyes, both coloring. Raven lifted an eyebrow, her version of a smirk. At least Starfire didn't look like a sheet anymore.

"What is the most irritating trait in each of your teammates?"

Raven's face remained emotionless, but interest showed on those of her friends'. Sighing, the dark girl gave silent thanks for her hood. "Everyone has irritating traits."

"But what are your teammates'?" the Voice prompted, amusement at her apparent attempt to avoid answering.

Raven said nothing at first, contemplating the question. A minute of silence later, sensing the Voice about to call her out on not answering, she opened her mouth. The others would understand; they had to know she had little choice. "Robin is extremely over-obsessive," she answered plainly, mentally stabbing herself in the chest with an imaginary knife. Raven forced the words out of her mouth faster than she believed possible, hating the bitter taste left behind in her mouth. "Starfire is too… girly. Cyborg exaggerates everything he does and feels, and Beast Boy needs far too much attention." She swallowed, her throat raw and painful. Each of the Titans adjusted their weights, not speaking a word. This villain was forcing her to hurt her friends. Raven was well enough aware of the saying "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." The problem was, however, that words did hurt: a lot. She'd learned that many times. Her fingers curled into a tight fist, knuckles white.

The Voice hummed in what might've been approval. "Go ahead." Raven didn't move, expression darkened by the shadow from her hood. The figure on the monitor coughed to get her attention, shifting as he moved back to her. "You can move forward," he repeated, voice deep.

"You think," Raven growled low, "that you can make me play this stupid game of yours, and you won't have any consequences in the end?"

"That's the plan," the Voice chuckled. His laugh caused Raven's stirring anger to rise, and if the sorceress had still possessed her powers, explosions would've destroyed the room.

Raven's friends looked at her, uncertain and confused. The empath's eyes flashed, her face restricted but livid all the same. Anyone who knew her personally could tell that she was beyond furious. "What is the point of this?" she hissed. "You aren't learning anything about us by asking these questions!"

"I'm learning more than enough," the Voice retorted, but Raven cut him off.

"What are you learning? How to make us hurt each other?! What to do to make us angry or upset?!" Raven seethed, shoulders drawing up to her neck. "That's not difficult to figure out, so why keep experimenting when you already know?" Fury burned throughout her body, hatred welling up inside of her. "Don't you dare say this room is to discover our secrets, because what you really want is for us to hurt one another!"

Her rant cut off in a sharp gasp when the square imprint she stood on suddenly dropped away. By pure luck she snagged the edge, cape billowing out around her and sleeping bag tumbling down to the ground far, far below.

"Raven!" Being the closest to her, Robin and Beast Boy sprinted to the opening and dove forward to grab her arms. Straining, together they managed to drag her back onto the path where she collapsed, breathing heavily. Starfire and Cyborg joined them a moment later, kneeling beside their friends.

The cold tone of the Voice reached their ears. "I told you that if you didn't cooperate, there would be consequences. There may not be any for me, but there certainly are for you."

Robin snapped at the hidden villain, clenching his fists. "When we finish your games, we certainly _will_ find you, and you _will_ go to jail."

"That'd be too kind, man," Cyborg scowled, glancing toward the television.

"I'd be careful, Titans," the Voice warned. "With just a push of this button, I could drop you all to your deaths. You should feel fortunate that I allowed you to help Raven."

"Dude, just s_hut up_," Beast Boy snarled with such velocity and furiosity that everyone was taken aback. The group tensed, expecting the floor to disappear any second, but much to their surprise, the shadowed villain said nothing. Starfire touched Raven's shoulder.

"Friend Raven," she addressed softly, "are you alright?"

"I'm sorry," Raven apologized, the confession so faint that the Titans almost missed it. They focused on her. "The things I said; I know I have far more irritating habits than all of you put together."

Robin shook his head. "Raven, we knew you had no choice. None of us blame you. I've always known I'm over-obsessive."

Starfire piped up, smiling encouragingly. "And I enjoy the 'girly-ness'! It is alright that you do not."

Cyborg nodded in agreement, and Beast Boy squeezed her shoulder. Raven dipped her head. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Come on," Robin stated, rising to his feet. "We'll get through this together." Expressions determined, the Titans followed his lead and walked back to their spots. Beast Boy hung back, offering Raven a hand which she took after a moment of hesitation.

"So, I'm needy, huh?" he teased, grinning, his canine tooth catching the light.

Raven met his gaze, tentatively lowering her hood. "Yes," she exhaled, and Beast Boy scratched the back of his neck. "But I never explained that while the trait can be horribly irritating, it's also the reason I'm much more social compared to when we first met. Thank you," she murmured, turning away before she caught sight of his brightening expression.

"Beast Boy, truth or dare?" the Voice interrupted, and Beast Boy scurried back to his square.

"Ah, truth," he replied, feeling very repetitive. Still, he didn't exactly desire to perform life-threatening tasks like Robin's, and whereas his leader had the skill to achieve his dares, Beast Boy doubted he could; besides, his own questions weren't that hard.

"If you could have any occupation other than being a Teen Titan, what would it be?"

Beast Boy tilted his head, feeling as if his point about the inquiries had been proved. He faintly realized that Raven's truths thus far had elevated to a higher level of difficulty. The Voice seemed to have it out for her, though considering her constant snapping at him throughout the game did explain why. The green shape-shifter answered honestly. "I'd probably be a veterinarian so, y'know, I could help my animal buddies get better when they're sick and hurt."

Receiving permission to hop forward, Beast Boy moved up to his next square. Two more remained, but, remembering his pass had not been used yet, really only one question stood before him and the others with the exception of Cyborg who currently awaited his truth.

The shadowed villain cleared his throat. "If you had to choose between true love and one million dollars, which would it be?"

Cyborg tapped his chin, thinking. "Well, one million dollars would make life a lot easier, if there aren't any tax deductions or robberies… But then true love is even rarer than being given that amount of money. I think I'd pick true love." What he didn't mention aloud was if his unnamed true love turned out to be rich, he'd get both the million dollars and a happy ever after. Plus, while his answer was honest, it made him sounds a little better by saying true love. Probably aware of this fact, Beast Boy smirked and rolled his eyes.

Starfire's question was fairly easy as had been her others, albeit a bit stranger and unexpected. A pause occurred before the inquiry was asked aloud. "How many sleepovers have you been to where you and the other girls wore lingerie and had a pillow fight?"

Robin choked on air and fell into a coughing fit. Likewise, both Cyborg and Beast Boy flustered, a few sparks flying from Cyborg's mechanics and a hot blush coloring Beast Boy's face. Even Raven's eye twitched.

Starfire, however, simply appeared confused. She tilted her head, one finger on her lip. "Please, what is this linger-ie?" She looked to Robin, for he was consistently the one to answer her questions whenever anything on Earth confused her. Her leader finished coughing, a shade darker.

"It's, uh, girl's underwear, Star," he mumbled, having trouble looking her in the eye. Why on earth did the Voice want to know that?!

"Oh!" Starfire nodded, lifting her sights to the television where the Voice awaited a response. "I have only been to the sleepover once," she admitted, her big green eyes turning up sadly before brightening again. "But it was most enjoyable! I had much fun with friend Raven having the 'girl talk' and braiding of hair!"

The boys looked at Raven incredulously and she grimaced. "It wasn't planned, and it wasn't much of a sleepover. Starfire came into my room requesting girl talk and she ended up doing most of the talking."

The Voice cut in, voice low due to the voice modifier. "But what is your answer? Have you or have you not had a pillow fight in your lingerie?"

"We never had the fight of pillows," Starfire sighed, tilting her head. "But I suppose we were in our… linger-ie." The boys suddenly all looked like tomatoes they were so red, and Raven felt heat rising in her face as well.

"What-," -she spat-, "-are you _talking_ about?!"

Starfire blinked, confused by Raven's agitated tone. "But we are at most times wearing our linger-ie, are we not? At this moment we are, correct?" Raven, realizing what Starfire meant and how she misunderstood, groaned and covered her own face with her hand.

"That's not… what he meant…," Raven grumbled, glancing at Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy. They all wore a similar dazed expression, and Raven blushed. Jerking her hood over her face, she snapped, "We were in our pajamas the entire time!"

"Yes, of course," Starfire agreed, still confused. "Is that not what he meant?"

Muttering inaudible words beneath her breath, Raven stalked over to Starfire and whispered in her ear. Starfire's face streaked a line of red across her cheeks and she covered an embarrassed smile. "Oh." Her voice now somewhat timid, Starfire called to the Voice. "We were not."

While Starfire moved up to her next square, Raven hesitated before walking over to Robin. Noting the distant glint in his eye, she promptly approached him and flicked him in the forehead. The slight but sharp pain brought him out of it at once, and his face darkened again before muttering an apology to the empath. She ignored him, approaching Cyborg. He looked more aware of what was happening, but Raven flicked him on the temple anyway. During which Cyborg rubbed the new sore spot on his face, Raven moved on to Beast Boy. Lifting an eyebrow, she took in his flushed appearance and evading eyes, and Raven smacked him upside the head.

"Ow! Dude!" Beast Boy protested loudly. Raven waited in front of him in silence as Beast Boy massaged the stinging spot, the empath unsympathetic. She made sure that the hit hadn't hurt that much, so she wasn't worried about his complaining. "Seriously Rae, why'd I get hit and they didn't?!" Beast Boy whined, pointing at Robin and Cyborg.

Raven leaned toward him, surprising Beast Boy and leaving inches in between them. Though her voice remained impassive, the quietness of her words scared the green boy more than anything. "Because your staring at me was completely unnecessary."

Beast Boy shrank into himself blushing, and Raven turned away, leaving the others curious about what she'd said. Even now without the usage of her powers, Beast Boy had no idea how Raven always seemed to know what he had on his mind. Raven stopped back on her square, arms crossed and expression unreadable beneath her hood. It wasn't that Beast Boy had done anything inappropriate, but catching his eyes drifting toward her was far more embarrassing than Raven would ever admit. She didn't understand what he'd been looking at her for, even if he was a male teenager. It wasn't as if Robin hadn't been glancing at Starfire, but they were an entirely different situation. Raven exhaled, giving thanks that Cyborg's eyes had stayed glued to the ground the entire time. At least one of her friends knew how to behave.

"Robin, your turn."

Robin pulled himself from his stupor, running a hand through his hair and the burning heat fading from his cheeks. "Dare," he sighed. Just one more left, he told himself.

A smirk audible in his voice, the hidden villain on screen replied, "I dare you to tell me your true secret identity."

Robin stared at the screen before holding out his pillow. "Pass," he stated. Nerves flickered through his stomach as he wondered why the Voice would make him use his pass before the last question. What did the Voice have in mind for him? A hole opened up in the ground, and he dropped the pillow into it before the floor closed again.

Robin moved forward to his next square with a mindful of thoughts to sort through, and the Voice moved next to Raven. The empath glanced down at the absence of her sleeping bag around her feet and felt her mouth curve up in a victorious smirk. She'd lost the item when the floor opened up under her earlier; at least one good thing had come of that situation. Her pillow had luckily not followed the sleeping bag, and Raven still held her pass.

"Truth," she said.

The question was voiced after more flipping of pages. The Voice was looking for a good one seeing as it would be her last Truth or Dare in the room. The thought of no more questions almost made Raven smile, but the next words from the television wiped the curve of her lips from her mouth. "What are the worst things that each of your teammates have said to you?"

Raven grit her teeth, glancing at the Titans who each gave her a nod of encouragement. The dark sorceress exhaled, reminding herself of what her friends had said before; they would get through this together and knew that she was being forced to answer the question. An idea struck Raven. Just because she was forced to say horrible things didn't mean that she couldn't add a few comments after.

"Starfire," she began, starting with the cheery red-haired alien. Starfire smiled a little, waiting, and Raven tried not to choke on her words. "When we were still getting to know one another and switched bodies because of the Puppet King, do you remember how you would not stop talking about how everything was hopeless and you would be stuck looking like me forever?" Starfire rubbed her nose sheepishly.

"I remember, friend," she replied.

"You've never said anything truly horrible to me, but when you wouldn't stop talking about how everything was hopeless, -even when I knew you didn't mean it- you struck a nerve. I've never been one to act optimistic, but during that time, I almost believed we really doomed." Raven sighed, lowering her hood, and surprising everyone, she kept her eyes on Starfire. "Truthfully, I was wishing to join you in meditation." The group looked at her in confusion, Starfire more so than the others, and Raven dipped her head. "When you and I started hanging out for the first time after defeating the Puppet King, that sentence was probably the best thing you could have said to me. You wanted to be my friend when I needed one."

Starfire's face broke out in a smile, and the Voice interjected. "I said the worst things. You don't need to say the best, Raven."

Raven glared at the screen, certain she was returning a scowl. "I know." She continued before the shadowed villain could comment or prevent her from saying the good things as well as the bad about her teammates. If she was going to deal out the bad, she would also serve the good. Her friends deserved that much, and a lot more.

Robin was next, and Raven lowered her head, quoting him quietly. "I have to stop him; I'm the only one who can. And I'll take down anyone who gets in my way." She allowed the room to absorb the words, and the air turned solemn as everyone recalled Robin's crazed obsession with Slade. The young leader had believed Slade was returned from the dead, and Robin's drive to stop the enemy had almost pushed him over the edge. The incident had not been his fault, but the memory still haunted them all, some more than others. Raven lifted her chin, smiling a little. "You're actually the most hopeful person I've ever met." She recited his words once more, causing Robin to smile back. Raven felt relieved, knowing he didn't blame her, but a nagging voice in the back of her head reminded her the worst was still to come.

Raven looked to Cyborg, lifting an eyebrow. "The worst thing you've ever said to me specifically: Stankball."

The Voice's disbelieving words came from the screen, and what he said caused the corners of Raven's mouth to turn up. "You aren't lying…" They really were like brother and sister, although the real exception was that they almost never fought. Cyborg, while having spoken words to others that Raven did not care for, had never said anything serious to hurt her; at least, not that she knew about or could recall. The only reason she decided to choose Stankball was because Cyborg and his Stankball game tended to interrupt her peace and quiet.

Speaking again, Raven quoted her larger friend. "He's green, half of me is metal, and she's from space. You fit in just fine." There it was again; her friends accepted her for herself, and they were starting to realize just how much their words gave to her.

Last of all, Raven faced Beast Boy. He was staring at the ground, trying to think of which incident she would speak of. He and Raven, out of everyone in the tower, fought the most, and even if it was about trivial things the majority of the time, they did anger one another more than either meant to. Was it a bad thing that he had so many possibilities for what Raven could claim as the worst thing he had ever said to her? Two clear choices stood out in his mind; one was the fight he'd started with her right before turning into The Beast. The second-.

"Why do you have to be so creepy?" Raven murmured, and Beast Boy actually flinched. It had been difficult to forgive himself for that comment, even after apologizing. Raven's voice dropped again, quieter and gentler, and Beast Boy lifted his head. "You think you're alone, Raven," Raven said softly, "but you're not." Even though they fought, argued, and got on one another's nerves far too often, they'd always find a way to make up for it. Because of that, the two had never drifted away; they would grow closer.

Raven received permission to move to her next square, happiness swelling in her chest. She couldn't explain why, but, after seeing the smiles on each of her friends' faces, each bigger than the last, Raven had been overcome by a sense of joy. Of course, the emotion failed to escape from Raven's emotionless mask, but the Titans could tell just by the relaxing of her shoulders that their friend was happy.

"Beast Boy, truth or dare?"

Beast Boy blinked a few times before smirking. "Truth, dude."

"If you knew you had twenty-four hours to live, what would you do?"

"Um…" Beast Boy scratched his ear. "Like, if it was twenty-four hours for everyone or just me?"

"You."

His gloved hand moved from his ear to his shoulder. "I guess I would… Well, I'd… I think I'd hang out with my friends and the Doom Patrol a bunch… I don't know if I'd tell them though… Maybe a few people who I think should know if I was gonna die ahead of time because it'd make it easier on them." His green eyes shifted up as he thought. "Dude, this is hard… I don't really know."

The Voice prompted him. "You wouldn't say anything to anyone specific? Perhaps confess your undying love to them?"

Beast Boy squinted at the television, the tips of his ears slightly red. "I don't know why I'd do that," he said, frowning. "If I liked someone and _they_ were going to die, I wouldn't want to know that they were in love with me, and know I could've done something to explain my feelings before that point when it'd be too late anyway. And if I ever did and that person didn't like me back, you know how hard it would be for that person to say they didn't feel the same while knowing you were gonna die no matter what? How'd I know if they were lying or not?" He cleared his throat. "And I'd kinda hope that the person would say something before then 'cause they liked me, and not doing it because I was gonna die."

Cyborg smirked, gripping the edge of his sleeping bag. "Man, that was one of the most thought-out things I've ever heard you say." Beast Boy stuck his tongue at the robotic teenager, expelling the semi-serious air around him, and then hopped forward to the next square.

Moving on, Cyborg requested truth for his final question. The Voice, after a moment of thought, spoke. "If there was one thing in your past that you could change, what would it be?"

Cyborg's face grew sober, and he lowered his large shoulders. "I'd probably want to save my mom's life," he said quietly. The Titans glanced at their bigger friend in sympathy, having recently learned of his mother's cause of death which coincidentally also led to his mechanical transformation.

Even the Voice's tone wasn't teasing, and rather more curious when the villain asked, "You wouldn't want to stay fully human?"

A small smirk lifted up the side of his mouth. "Naw man, I'd rather be like this with my mom alive. 'Sides, if I hadn't become Cyborg, then I never woulda met all these awesome little fellas," the Titan replied, smiling at his teammates. The teenagers returned the expression, each mentally agreeing with him. Had they not been born on another planet, genetically altered, witnessed the death of their parents, or undergone horrific experiences in their pasts, the Titans might not have ever been formed. They were a family now, and none of them wanted to give that up.

All having saved their passes to skip the last question, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg tossed out their pillows and reached the door at the far end without any more truths or dares. Robin remained, knowing his last dare would no doubt be the hardest and most dangerous. A glimpse of the nervous expressions on his friends' faces told Robin that the Titans knew it too. Yet, his only other impossible option would be to answer truth.

"Robin," the Voice asked silkily, "truth or dare?"

"Dare," Robin answered without hesitation. The air in the room felt heavier, weighed down with anxiety and anticipation.

The Voice did not laugh, instead responding in a serious and deep tone. "I dare you," he began as a square white box about the size of a small closet rose out of the ground in front of Robin, "to escape this box with only the objects provided inside. You cannot use your belt or any other tricks you possess."

Releasing a deep breath, Robin nodded and approached the box, stepping through an entryway that appeared on the side. He'd been expecting something more flashy and dangerous, but he wasn't about to be caught complaining. Before the white walls blocked his view, the Titan leader shot a quick reassuring glance at his teammates, and then disappeared into the box. The opening closed itself behind him, shutting Robin off from his friends.

The inside looked just like the outside: white, square, and cold. A rectangular table was the lone difference, and the small surface supported three items. A cell phone that looked like a brick, a television remote, and a child's alien-antenna headband sat on the table before him. Robin lifted an eyebrow at the items.

The Voice interrupted his thoughts, a thin layer of the wall sliding back to reveal a small screen and presenting Robin with the villain's shadowed form once more. "You have approximately five minutes to escape before you run out of air. Using only these three things, find the way out of this box. And remember not to use your utility belt; I'll be right here watching." The Voice chuckled a little. "Well, not literally here, but you know what I mean."

Robin had already shut the Voice out. Turning around, he pressed his gloved fingers to the wall, finding the faint outline of the door he'd entered from. Robin gave the wall an experimental push, unsurprised when nothing happened. Scanning the section of the wall, he observed light, almost unperceivable gray lines running vertically on the door. Following the faint contours with his eyes, the young leader noticed the smallest of holes located in the wall just at knee level. Stooping down, he squinted at it; a keyhole, although it was not possible to see through due to the airtight room. Nevertheless, the tiny opening was a keyhole, and one he should be able to pick.

Having located where to focus his efforts, Robin returned to the table. The cell phone looked like the first ever invented, now thought of by most teenagers as a myth or legend. Dull, tan, and the size of a brick with white plastic buttons sticking out, Robin faintly wondered where the Voice had gotten his hands on one. The remote lying beside it was much more modern, an everyday item identical to the one found in the Titans' tower. Last of all, seeming the most out of place, was the alien-antenna headband. Robin assumed he would have owned one as a child had his parents not died; according to television, back in the day, the toys were extremely popular. The headgear consisted of a green plastic strip connected to two curly wires topped off by a pair of miniature disco balls. It honestly looked a little uncomfortable to wear. Robin had to smirk. Two out of four of his teammates could be classified as aliens, both having been born on another planet, and the antenna headbands would do nothing to make someone look like Starfire and Raven.

The Voice's tone could almost be described as eager when the villain broke the silence suddenly. "Less than three minutes left," he sang.

Robin pushed his distracted thoughts aside, focusing on his task. Picking up the phone, he hit it against the edge of the table and broke the back off. A scramble of wires greeted him from inside the object, but he discarded it all and instead snatched up the plastic cover. A few rough strikes later, he'd broken it in half, one end sharp, narrow, and flat. Tossing the rest of the useless phone away, it clattered to the ground as Robin passed over the remote and picked up the child's antenna. Ripping off the glittery disco balls from the wire's end, Robin twisted the line off and bent the end.

The few seconds Robin took to relocate the keyhole sent nerve-wracking jolts through his stomach, making him realize that if he had not found the exit so quickly, the situation would have felt a lot more terrifying and stressful. As it was, however, Robin knew he shouldn't relax yet; picking a lock could take thirty seconds or thirty minutes depending on the type of keyhole, and he had maybe a minute left before his air ran out. Already Robin was undergoing lightheadedness, although that could've been from anxiety more than anything.

His mask narrowing, Robin knelt before the tiny hole and started to work.

* * *

"Friends, I fear for Robin's safety!" Starfire worried, clasping and unclasping her hands repeatedly. "He has been in there for such the long time!"

Cyborg shifted. "He's sure takin' his sweet time," he agreed.

"Dude, what if something happened?" Beast Boy whined nervously. Starfire shot the smaller boy a nervous look, and Cyborg elbowed him.

"I'm sure Robin is fine," Raven assured them, her voice emotionless but thoughts echoing her friends' fears. "He'll be out in no time." While the Titans did not know the details of Robin's dare, they were certain his life would be in danger one way or another, and thus with each passing moment, their level of concern increased. Starfire had, much to Raven's dismay, started pacing back and forth and chewing on her lip ever since losing sight of Robin. The empath's uneasy emotions were beginning to change to irritation, and she was about to open her mouth to tell Starfire to stop when movement from the box distracted her. Her apprehension and irritation disappeared as Robin exited the large white box, a broken piece of plastic, bent wire, and regular remote held in his hands. The young detective had barely made it out when Starfire tackled him in an unexpected, enormous hug. The other Titans blinked, having not even seen her start to move, and then smiled.

Blushing somewhat, Robin returned her embrace before drawing back and rejoining the rest of the Titans with Starfire. Raven quirked an eyebrow at the strange objects in his hands, but Robin shook his head, indicating he'd explain later.

"Dude!" Beast Boy grinned, bumping fists with Robin. "You totally kicked that box's butt!" Cyborg laughed, and Robin smirked, unaware of his arm still around Starfire's waist. If she noticed, she did not complain.

"You gave us a scare, man," Cyborg admitted, bumping Robin's shoulder with his arm. "Don't take so long next time, 'kay?"

"I'll try not to," Robin promised, and Starfire drew a little closer to him, smiling.

The group's conversing was broken up by the Voice, once again visible on the large television above them. If he felt disappointed by Robin's success, the villain did not act like it. "Congratulations on surviving the Truth or Dare room, Titans, but many more rooms await you. The next game will challenge you just as much as the others have," he declared as a door in the wall opened for the Titans to go through. The next room awaited. "If I were you, I'd prepare myself for-."

A remote flew into the television, cracking the screen and cutting out the image. The Titans looked at Robin who shrugged in response. "I was hoping it might mute him, but when the button didn't work, I decided to shut him up in a more satisfying way."

Cyborg and Beast Boy started laughing, and Starfire giggled behind her hand. Raven's mouth curved up. "And _that's_ why you're the leader."


End file.
